Wish Me Nevermore
by The DarkCat
Summary: AU. When Ritsu and Nagisa visit an occult shop, they come in contact with the Reality Bubble. It is said, that it can change the past according to the user's wishes. This knowledge travels from Ritsu to Soubi. Yet the consequences of this orb remain unknown.
1. Chapter I: Wishful thinking

Writing date: 2018-12-26; 02-06

_Inspiration- Diary of Dreams 'Reality of Mine'_

_A huge thank you goes to Messy Bookshelf, for beta'ing this story. _

_So, hey, I'm back with a little multi-chapter fic, which was delayed for way too long, due to multiple reasons... first thing, I want to state, before you go on reading, is that unlike BtD this does not pair Ritsu and Soubi in any way. Secondly, I'm not sure about the genres, so be prepared for slight humor at first..._

-**X**-**X**-**X**-

"That is so gorgeous! I want to take a closer look." Nagisa beamed with joy, while her sparkling eyes ogled an ornamented red dress on display. Ritsu popped his head, to see, what his comrade was so excited about. He frowned at the discovery, a lolita clothing shop. A displeased sigh was let loose soon enough.

"Nagisa, do you remember, why we came to Yashio?"

"Yes... To take back the portrait for the school's anniversary..."

"So we will do precisely that. Nothing else. I don't want to babysit you. So stop acting out of line." The silver-haired man said, leaving Nagisa to catch up. Still as the man strode away, he heard his companion emit a lonely whine.

"Stupid Ritsu. Stupid, stupid Ritsu..."

"Ah, music to my ears..." He murmured sarcastically, while squeezing through a few people, who walked to the other direction on the path. Since the walkway was narrow and piles of snow were draped on either sides, he had to pause and let them go through. On one side of the pavement stood lines of stores, bakeries and coffeehouses with a few trees accompanying them and a driveway was on the opposite.

"Remind me, why exactly are we doing this?" Nagisa asked, as her mood fell tremendously. She stood behind Ritsu, a little too close for his liking, in order to make way for others. The man suddenly gave her a glimpse with a parted mouth. The cruel invasion of personal space was too overwhelming. Nagisa jumped back like a cat, that dipped it's paw into cold water.

"If I have to repeat myself..." He emitted a sigh. "The people, who had to take the portrait from the shop couldn't come. So I'm taking matters into my own hands. The time until the anniversary is running short after all."

"In other words, you're pitching in for the lazy." Ritsu disregarded Nagisa's comment, stepping in front, once he got bored of the endless streams of people. They just didn't stop, and once the headmaster spotted, how much of them were still shambling his way through the pathway, he knew, he had to move. If the silver-haired man wouldn't push through, he wouldn't reach his destination until night time.

"Is it just me... Or did Ritsu finally acquired a soft spot?" Nagisa giggled, slowly setting her ridiculing eyes on the mentioned man. But once her pupils landed on the spot, where the silveret used to stand, she hadn't seen the familiar face. Instead a bearded man walked next to her, offering a gentle smile.

"_Yyyyhh!_" The woman shrieked in embarrassment. Then she began to maneuver her way through the unknown individuals in desperation. How could Ritsu leave her to such a creepy looking weirdo? "Stupid, stupid Ritsu, where are you, you jerk?!"

She periodically stepped on the tips of her toes, to peer in front. And after a moment her eyes as if a pair of radars caught a head, covered with thin silver strands. It moved slowly and stood out like a tower compared to the other people. Nagisa had a hunch, that Ritsu even wore heels to show off his superiority in the crowds, to peer at those little heads, asking how was the weather down there.

"There he is! That old man hair is unmistakable!" Nagisa exclaimed with relief. After minutes of battling with the lazily dragging rout, she met Ritsu's tall back - the uncaring mountain of egoism.

But the man didn't notice any difference in his surroundings. So the female gripped his grey coat's sleeve, pulling it with enough force. Nothing... She did that twice, three times, four... No reaction. What was with Ritsu? Did his nerve ends froze from the Winter cold or something? Or perhaps his whole peripheral nervous system took a nap, getting tired of the brain's annoying commands, especially if his mind had the same reigning voice as it's owner. Wait... Nagisa smiled - that just broke every law of human physiology... _Oh, well..._

"Oh, it was you, Nagisa? I thought, that was an annoying child..." Ritsu murmured after a short moment. He gave her a peek, before he turned away again, figures. In the meantime the blue-haired woman stared at him, with eyes, that nearly shot out of their eye holes.

"How can you be so dense?! What if instead of me, a pickpocket was searching for your wallet?!" She stepped next to him, angrily puffing the air into Ritsu's oblivious face. However working with Nagisa for so many years, he grew accustomed to the blue-haired woman's antics.

"A pickpocket wouldn't have found anything satisfactory in my wallet, even if he would have ripped it out along with my heart, if that was possible..."

So he kept his wallet in his coat's inner pocket?

"But that was still not nice of you, Ritsu! You left me all alone!" The female huffed out, her arms were tightly crossed below her chest.

"What do you mean? I thought you left."

"And where would I leave?!"

"To buy those princess dresses."

"You have a point there..." Nagisa whispered. Her shoulders slumped and she bashfully buried her mouth in the purple scarf, that masked her neck. After the little chit-chat ended, they traveled in silence for a few minutes, all the while evading the morning men, women or children, who rushed to work, school or any other facility.

All of a sudden Ritsu stopped in his tracks and shifted his attention to the little, black, single floor shop on his left. It had small windows with ornamented wooden shutters and a red roof. His companion paused after a few steps as well, once she noticed, that the silver-haired man was trailing behind. Nagisa's expression grew dumbfounded, but she still spat a ridiculing comment.

"What's the matter, Ritsu? You lose something? Or did you feel the need to adore your reflection?"

"I think this is the right store..." The silver-haired man smiled, then parted the red door.

Nagisa pouted her lips at the outcome, would it hurt him to throw something back? The trip to Yashio was already tiring and now she had to suffer Ritsu's uncaring remarks tossed her way.

A little bell marked Nagisa's entry, when she closed the wooden creaking door behind herself. Once she took a closer look at the shop's insides, a ton of shivers ran down her back, like wishing to escape the building as quickly as possible. However their host stood frozen, curling her toes and clutching her hands at the trembling chest.

"R-ritsu, just... Wh-what. In the world i-is this place?" She gathered her squeaking voice, while getting a frantic hold of the silver-haired man's arm.

Ritsu gave her a displeased glower then. He opened his mouth, ready to let loose a curse, alas his mind's bombing was faster than his words. So in the end he didn't utter anything.

They stood in the main room, which was clear of any other clients. It was overly dark, because of the sooty, pitch black walls. Nagisa wished with all her heart, that it was just an odd choice of coloring. However a thick smell of smoke started to follow their crinkled noses, wherever they diverted them. No doubt, somebody had been burning wood in the middle of the room a while ago. When Nagisa's nostrils had become acquainted with the thick stench and her smell receptors marked it, as the kind of familiarity, they wished not to come across any time soon, she took in another feeble odor. It coiled around her nose, battling with the soot. That was incense... Carbon and a scent of roses, certainly _nothing else_ can make a person feel more at home.

Old as time shelves decorated every corner. They were overfilled with books, goat masks and bottles, which housed weird liquids. Each one of the shelves was more unsettling than the previous one. The bookshelves were slightly curved to the center of the place from the immense weight bending them down. It seemed like they could fall onto the blue-haired woman, if she dared to breath a tiny gust their way.

Nagisa's grasp on Ritsu's sleeve tightened, when her inspection was finished. She hid behind him, as a reaction. Suddenly the blue-haired woman's voice came out in a stammering exhale.

"P-please tell me, that you messed up the address..."

Ritsu shook his head momentarily, while covering the lower half of his face with a palm.

"Unfortunately, no... They could at least clean this shop, this is a mockery."

"Uh..." Nagisa shivered, as Ritsu yanked his arm away from her. The warm, protective contact was broken. Now what was the female suppose to do? What if something attacked her, like those grotesque masks, which were leaning on the wooden support?

He walked to the counter, oblivious to Nagisa's disappointment, then gave a little knock on the empty cashier's desk. Dust ascended upon the impact, making Ritsu flinch away. That didn't ward off his harsh voice.

"Is anybody in here?!"

"Ritsu... I-I think we should really go. This place is giving me the creeps..." Nagisa's fingers tugged on the silver-haired man's left sleeve impatiently. She licked her dry, chapped lips, before adding in a hushed squeal. "It-it's like this shop was used for satanic rituals or something. I don't want to be sacrificed, you hear?"

"I'm not comfortable here either, Nagisa. But..."

"But?" The female's eyes widened. Nagisa waited for the response in the eerie silence. Her face seemed scrutinizing, careful not to miss even the slightest flinch, as if a single movement of the man could have determined the universe's future.

"We already paid... It's from the school's budget."

"Are you _kidding me_, Ritsu?! You want to get us killed for a freaking yen?!"

"Nagisa, please, be quiet for once, you're too loud..." Ritsu grunted, hearing the blue-haired female slam her palm on the table. The whirls of dust rose on cue and he swiftly hid his nose from Nagisa's shenanigans. "A walking headache..."

"I didn't hear you, say that again." The woman's eyes flickered with anger.

"No. I-" Ritsu cut off, because right at that time, a lonely door behind the counter creaked open. There was no wind, and no people, as far as they saw. In so both members of Septimal Moon stood in shock, trying to make out something in the darkness of the other chamber.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Nagisa began to mutter, clinging to Ritsu's arm. The man himself started to take slow steps backwards, letting out heavy breaths. He nearly stumbled onto Nagisa's shoes, yet they continued to push themselves back, clinging to one another and almost falling in the process several times.

Only small fragments of the brown wooden floorboards were illuminated by the poor light, that seeped through the tiny windows of the store. Suddenly a shuffling was manifested. And it was followed by a tasty yawning voice. Oddly enough it sounded similar to a cat's cry.

Soon Nagisa's back hit the wall, and she was sandwiched between the bricks and Ritsu's spine. The woman scientist squeezed her face through the gap, laying her chin on the man's shoulder.

"Ritsu, it's now or never. Let's get out of here."

"Not until I get my refund." The headmaster hissed, making Nagisa widen her eyes in disbelief. The silveret's slightly shaking fingers uncertainly fished in the coat's pocket, finally revealing a plain pocket knife. He gripped it with more force and motioned it in front. Alas the trembling, that his whole body produced, made the knife waver.

In the midst of the dread, a wan arm extended from the barely parted room and it's digits gripped the knob. Nagisa couldn't help but emit a small yelp. Though her pupils never left the pallid fingers and focused closely, as if the hand could do some deadly hocus-pocus.

"Ah? Are those the sounds of customers, I hear?" A rough voice broke out. At that time Nagisa's head ducked behind Ritsu's shoulders, disappearing like a rabbit into a hole.

If that anonymous creep was indeed looking for fresh bodies to conduct rituals, Nagisa won't be the first to find that out. When Ritsu will move forward, she'll squeal an _'adieu!'_, dashing away. Wait, that won't work. The woman's brows lowered at that particular thought. What about the idiot? She couldn't leave her companion like this.

While the woman chewed over her escape route, the owner of the old, cracking tone, came into view. Albeit lazily, as his legs barely dragged him forward, and instead pushed the dust along. After a few minutes, the man finally made it to the counter. And Ritsu had the time to examine the shop owner's appearance.

The short male seemed in his late sixties. Ritsu came to that conclusion, when he saw the other's wrinkles and the long, grey hair, sticking out like a sore thumb. The cashier was thin as a stick, that was proved by his pale arms, and he wore an obviously too long grey buttoned-down shirt. It looked like a dress on him.

"Sir?" The shopkeeper asked, breaking Ritsu's bafflement. And the headmaster instantly straightened and hid his pocket knife just as quickly. The old man leaned forward on the cashier's desk, that action created a momentary grimace on his face."...What are you looking for? Maybe you'd want a tour around this shop?"

His fingers were slowly motioned to the shelves. This caused both members of Septimal Moon to follow his indication in fright. The shop owner added after a pause.

"Now, right next to you is the shelf with the animal masks. It is said, that witches used them, as sacrifices to please the gods."

"_Kuuuhhh!_ I don't wanna hear this anymore!" Nagisa out-cried, setting her nails into Ritsu's shoulder. He hastily pried her hands apart, shoving them off and taking a step forward.

"Actually... We came here to take back our order."

"Oh? Well, well. That's an interesting turn..." The shopkeeper emitted a chuckle out of his lungs. In the meantime, Ritsu swiftly placed the receipt on the cashier's desk as if it had been burning. The aged man slowly inspected it, while narrowing his eyes at the tiny letters. Suddenly he rose his index finger and shambled back to his shadowy room." Give me a moment."

"See, Nagisa? That's how you deal with artists." Ritsu fixed his coat's sleeve soon, while giving a smirk to the blue-haired female. A prideful face decorated the man's features... Of course. If that wasn't a typical expression from the headmaster, then Nagisa could assume, that street signs were foreign as well. The woman rolled her eyes, before voicing out.

"You give them money, so they would leave you alone. Great communication skills! I think, that was how you got friends in the university..."

He turned to her with a displeased expression. Though his eyes widened the next moment, as he spotted something in the far end. The woman to whirled around in confusion too, she eagerly searched, for the cause of Ritsu's interest, but saw nothing in particular. Soon the man walked past her hastily, without adding a single word. Nagisa whined out.

"Hey, don't be silent, Ritsu. Let me in on the information too."

"Fine then, look here." Ritsu motioned his head. Still the uneasiness climbed up his throat, with every ticking second, while he stared at a photo... Sure, a picture's a picture, nothing spectacular. Although the faces portrayed, left him guessing.

"What in the world?..." Nagisa cursed, when she took a peek too.

The image portrayed the well-known people and himself from the day before graduation in Seven Voices academy. Ritsu felt slight squirming inside him - embarrassment, due to some unknown person having this precious memory. But how had it reached the shopkeeper's hands in the first place? There had been just five copies, for every person in the picture, plus the photographer... No more than that. The knowledge that none of his comrades lived in Yashio or had close relatives in this city, didn't lighten the headmaster's mood.

Ritsu's suspicion continued to grow. If that kind of odd man had actually lurked near them back then, had Ritsu noticed? Perhaps, but he wouldn't have remembered to tell a word to anyone. Neither would he recall more than twenty years after - faces come and go. If the silveret hadn't cared to acquaint them, he would not remember, no matter, how hard he would rummage in his brain.

Ritsu touched the bridges of the glass support, that protected the picture. In the photo he met his own sleepy eyes, his younger self was slightly leaning on one leg. Not the best moment caught on tape, the silver-haired man admitted, though couldn't recall, why had he been like that. And now someone else had that moment in bright display. He nearly emitted an angry grunt.

Next to him stood a cheerful Nagisa, holding up two fingers, imitating horns on Ritsu's head. The silveret's lips quivered in anger, after spotting that, or perhaps due to the undeniable shame... Now _those_ were stupid times... If only he could, Ritsu would take them back, take most of his youth back into the palms of his hands. This wish manifested not because he missed the old days, but because the silveret wanted to change them. And his life had a lot of fixing to do. What an idiot he had been. The silver-haired man found it quite weird, that he used that word describing himself, but he guessed, the passing years did their work.

On the opposite side of a teenage Ritsu stood Kunugi with Nana, both were holding wide grins. And in their arms lay a small tree - an aspen - with it's roots carefully hidden from the sun's light in a plastic bag. Their class number was written on, what looked like, a blue ribbon - but that information might have been more from Ritsu's memory, since the picture was in black and white. He recalled, that every graduated grade of students had to plant a tree in the academy's garden like a memento for the school, it was an outdated tradition in Seven Voices academy.

Once the man's pupils slowly traveled away from the found photo, he spotted Nagisa's distress, which was proven by her slight agape. The headmaster slowly rubbed the bridge of his nose, before uttering sharply.

"There must be a reasonable explanation for this."

"Reasonable explanation?! Ritsu, that's a _stalker_! What's reasonable about that!? I told you, we should have gone ten minutes ago!"

"It hasn't been ten minutes since we entered the shop." He confirmed, while giving a peek to the wall clock above them. Ritsu reassured further. "Everything's alright, I'm sure that's just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah. Our deaths will be too."

"Would you stop associating everything with death?"

"Death?" A smiling shopkeeper cocked his head to the side, while finally placing the wrapped portrait on the cashier's desk. He wished to pitch in the conversation, it seemed interesting to him. Although his sudden appearance didn't have a positive effect on his customers. Nagisa shivered, seeing the store owner's grin, but still yelled out, pointing her index finger at the man.

"I want to know, how you got that photo, you, robber!"

"What? Bubble?" The elder leaned forward to hear better. He suddenly gave them an all-knowing grin, sliding away from the counter. "Oh, so you came for the Reality Bubble... "

"Ah... Did I hear him correctly?" Nagisa turned to her displeased silver-haired colleague." I don't want any incense that would make me go kooky."

"Well, that would surely be a nice sight..."

"Shut it, Ritsu, before I pour that stuff into your coffee."

The silveret blinked, while silently putting his hands into his coat's pockets. And Nagisa celebrated a little victory with a devious smirk. She had finally quieted Ritsu down.

"There it is." Meanwhile, the shopkeeper reached for a little red box, that was hidden beneath one of the shelves. He straightened, while rubbing his sore back. Then he handed the chest to a startled Nagisa. "This, right here, is an ancient cursed object. It is able to shift the reality, and change the past to the user's liking."

The woman raised an eyebrow, while lifting the lid and peering inside. A miniature glass ball sat in the middle. Nagisa smiled, it seemed nothing more than a cute accessory to her. Ritsu, on the other hand, was curious. He gazed at the item and intently listened to the further ramblings of the shop owner.

"Other people of course don't feel any change in their lives. And only the user of the Reality Bubble recalls the truth."

"Seems like odd jewelry..." Ritsu frowned, eventually taking the crystal into his hands, it reflected the light from the window and shifted it into various shades through it's color prism. The headmaster carefully passed the ball to the female.

"Well, if you don't believe it's power, I could give the Reality Bubble for a free trial." The elder smirked then, leaning a hand at the shelf's wall. He spotted, how Ritsu's eyes slightly shot up in disbelief, something that the headmaster tried to hide.

"Are you for real? Don't you need this shiny stuff?" Nagisa asked, whilst her eyes were ogling the sparkling attraction. She seemed similar to an eager cat, that just received a new toy. "I mean, what if we break it? Because I don't promise anything out of Ritsu."

"I think you should look at yourself." The silver-haired man responded, seeing, how the ball nearly slipped out from Nagisa's fingers, with a slight gasp coming from the woman. He caught it swiftly and then set a superior gaze to Nagisa." Now, you should bring the portrait back to the academy. The school will not wait for you, while you play with a superstitious orb. Time is ticking after all."

"And what about you?!"

"I'll... We'll meet up in Seven Voices..."

"You'll bring back that thing, right?" Nagisa pointed at the Reality Bubble, holding a bright smile. Ritsu glanced down at it, unsure of what to answer and he suddenly hid his face, by lowering his head. Yet the woman chimed further. "You'll tell me if it works, okay?"

"Sure, sure, get going..." He gritted his teeth.

"If it does, I'd want to..."

"I told you to go!"

"Sheesh. Someone's grumpy... Alright. Then... I guess, I'll see you... Soon."

Nagisa gave a timid glance at her colleague, before taking the wrapped portrait and disappearing out of the shop. After she left, Ritsu allowed himself to sigh.

Honestly, he had no idea, what prompted him to act this way. The silver-haired man didn't even know, what he was hoping to achieve with this falsehood. Surely this was a hoax, made by the shopkeeper to make a living. Perhaps the old man spun this tale to every customer... But no matter, how much Ritsu attempted to calm the anxiousness and anticipation, which made his heart beat heavily, he couldn't. The man understood, that he was acting illogically and that there was no way a crystal ball could change anything in his life. But a side of his brain kept spouting otherwise. It was called wishful thinking. And now the man's mind was stuck in a brewing conflict.

In that time, silence had settled between the two people in the store. Though the smiling shopkeeper didn't want to leave the deal unsolved. His hands found their way to cover the Reality Bubble in Ritsu's palm. In reaction, the silver-haired man's shoulders tensed.

"Sir? How about you give it a try? If you'll be unsatisfied with the effects you can always return the item, I won't charge payment."

Ritsu frowned at the older man's words, they missed his doubts entirely. The headmaster needed to know, if this was true, or just a prank before putting his hope into it. Though before Ritsu could gather his words, the shop owner pierced him with a concerned gaze.

"I'm sure there are things, that you want to do better in life, maybe erase a mistake or two."

Now didn't that hit the spot? However the silver-haired male forced his face to stay neutral, and only allowed a couple of handpicked, harmless thoughts to nest in his mind. For example, when will the old man remove his sweaty clutches from his palm?

"Sometimes life can be cruel, and bad places can ruin our decisions. I'm sure, this happens to a lot of people, especially when they are blinded by..."

"I'll take it." Ritsu cut the shop keeper off, after he got tired of the monologue. Instantly the other man's face began to shine. And as his hold weakened, Ritsu receded and motioned his head at the displayed photo on the shelf.

"I wanted to ask one more thing. Where did you get that?"

"Oh? I'll tell, when you'll return. All the well to you, sir." The senile man waved him off as if seeking to get rid of his customer.

But it seemed, that there was nothing else left to do. So Ritsu complied with that wish. He put the little ball in his coat's pocket, giving a slight nod and striding out of the shop in a hurry.

He had to get to Tokyo and start with not the first, but his biggest mistake - Soubi.


	2. Chapter II: Priceless

Writing date: 02-09; 04-27

-**X**-**X**-**X**-

_'So...'_ A closed off thought timidly breached into the light. It was just a whim, which escaped the clutches of his protective mind. It echoed again._ 'Did it actually work?'_

It obviously wanted a response. Although this mystery was left to drown into the cold pits, from where it had ascended. The pondering was gnawing at the mind, desperate for an outcome, that Ritsu didn't had an answer to. So it was obvious that those inquiries had to be executed and the concentration shifted somewhere else, somewhere less harmful, annoying and repetitive.

Ritsu sat on a bench in the small park with a wide tiled area, which was surrounded by aspens. The headmaster was lazily watching, as other people went on with their midday chores. Tokyo seemed overly busy in this time of day. They were skipping through him and leaving the man alone under one of the trees. It's outstretched branches masked the weak winter sun. However they barely stopped the breeze from scraping his face or other unmasked parts of his flesh. The backs of his hands were already chapped from the freeze, so the man kept them in his coat's pockets, not for long though. He was forced to expose them, so he could light the tip of the cigarette.

And as Ritsu exhaled the smoke, he recalled, that only a few hours prior he wished the crystal ball to fix his relationship with Soubi. The silveret wanted, that his former student wouldn't hate him. How was he suppose to know, whether it worked? Should he visit his former student? But what if this was just a silly prank, that he had fallen for?

_'Go to Soubi.'_ Ritsu's mind ordered bravely, though he just inhaled the bitter tobacco's smoke through _the _coffin's _nail_, with no further movements. His thoughts attacked the unproductive man once more:_ ' Get going, you old geezer! You have other work to do, and if you come back late, there won't be anything left in the cafeteria! I'm not going to be content with a kids' meal!'_

The silver-haired man coughed at that and spat out the cigarette, once he felt the stinging smoke reach his throat. Damn it, he inhaled too much. His inner mind had a point on the last detail. He stood up, stomping on the breathing cancer stick. Now if only Ritsu remembered, where his student lived nowadays...

X X X

A knock collided with the door.

The headmaster put his hands in the coat's pockets straight after, hiding them from the cold air, to whom they had became sensitive. He glanced at the surrounding area. There were other apartments and occasional bare trees on the sides. The place was nothing special, and seemed kind of crowded for such a small territory.

Ritsu took his eyes off the neighborhood. What if he messed up the address? Or perhaps Soubi didn't live here anymore? That would be possible, considering, how many years had passed, but that wasn't likely... Soubi hadn't had a lot of money to spare, or to buy a new flat, that was, what the headmaster recalled from the short moments, that he had seen him, when his student was under Seimei's wing. Though the silver-haired man doubted, that things changed much. Unless he was living in some kind of run-down outskirts. Ritsu grimaced, that would be low even for Soubi, and the shame would travel all the way to Ritsu, if the academy would get a hold of that rumor.

Luckily the man's ponderings were cut short by a click of the lock. And soon enough, a blonde head shown through a small gap. The opening had been restricted with a chain, that went in between the door and the wall.

"Soubi?" The silver-haired male's eyes shot open in disbelief, and right at that moment the door was slammed shut, leaving Ritsu in disarray. After a few hopeful seconds of staring at the lost opportunity, he let out a sigh and turned away on his heel. The answer was obvious, Soubi still despised him.

And now Ritsu felt like an idiot, because he had put his hopes up. How could he be so foolish as to trust some false magic to solve his problems? Idiot. All he wanted now was a book and a cup of coffee, where he could drown that foolish wish away.

Just as Ritsu wanted to descend down the stairs his ears picked up something, shuffling behind the door. The man paused, giving an uncaring glimpse. Though his facade broke down faster than he had wished to, his legs felt like they were nailed to the floor beneath them and his knuckles clenched on impulse. He stayed there waiting for the final outcome. Suddenly the door flew right open, greeting his face a little too intimately.

"Oh! Sorry, Minami-sensei." Soubi stood on the other end, with a confounded look on his face, while Ritsu got a hold of the railing for support, hiding his bruised nose. The ragging eyes of the silver-haired man said enough already. And Soubi snickered at his reaction.

"I wonder, why did you came after all this time. Come on in, don't just stand there, I'll get something for your nose... Huhu..."

With that the blonde swiftly went inside, leaving a dumbfounded Ritsu, who moved cautiously.

Soon the headmaster, with half of his nose hidden by a paper handkerchief, was seated on a plain wooden chair near the table. And Soubi came back with a dusty packet of cookies and two cups of coffee. The silver-haired man stared at the stale, slightly morphed treat, being threateningly shoved onto a plate. The bitter feeling returned to poison the man's insides with a hammering heartbeat this time.

"It's well passed the expiration date... Oh, that's unlucky." Soubi grimaced, after checking the box, and handed an apologetic face to his companion. Ritsu swallowed dryly, barely conjuring a weak smile with a nod in return - _what a hospitality_. Although his inner mind stated the obvious:

_'Better take my chances with the kids' meal tonight. No wonder, Soubi's so laid-back. He's planning to kill me!'_

"Minami-sensei," Soubi called again, until Ritsu finally lifted his head at his student, who handed him a steaming porcelain cup. "there you go, maybe the coffee will be better."

"Thank you."

"Your welcome."

However Ritsu didn't took a sip, and hadn't planned to, keeping the mug between his palms for warmth. He stole a glimpse at Soubi, who sipped his coffee without any restrictions or fears. The silveret couldn't shake the feeling, that this whole ordeal was terribly wrong...

"Is there anything on my face?" Soubi asked a little disturbed. He moved the cup away from his lips, after he became aware of the lingering stare. Ritsu continued for a few seconds longer, before leaning back, with a quick exhale. The silveret's mind was lagging on him nowadays.

"Nothing, forgive me."

Soubi took those words in. He gave a gentle motion with his head, setting the cup down and fixing a scrutinizing stare at his teacher. Revenge it was. And Ritsu couldn't handle it, shifting his pupils to another subject, that caught his curiosity - his former student's colourful, glittering cup. From _which_ hell did he got that?

The silver-haired man constricted his eyes, once he spotted the edges of scarce lettering. He couldn't make out, what was exactly written on it and apparently his time ran short, as Soubi elegantly took the mug. Ritsu's heart sank to his feet, and he agaped at the discovery... The words... They said:

_'World's best father.'_

"Guess, who's not getting this?" Soubi added with a sly smirk.

"Damn it! Soubi-kun, what's wrong with you?" Ritsu barked, feeling his pride burning to a crisp. And in return his face reddened, either from undeniable shame or anger. Soubi shrugged absentmindedly, the corners of his lips, still staying mockingly upright. After a short while the blonde set his elbows on the table.

"I don't know, what you're talking about. Tell me, Minami-sensei... How _should_ I act in front of you?"

Ritsu's eyebrows twitched at the tone of his student's voice. In all his years he hadn't heard such disrespect from any of his or other students in Seven Voices academy.

"Firstly, Soubi-kun, quit this childish attitude. That would be a start." He began to lecture, once his anger subsided." Secondly, stop calling me by my surname. I think I made it clear to you ages ago, that you are to call me, Ritsu-sensei. Did Ritsuka taught you how to disrespect your teacher? Tch, I guess it runs in the family..."

"Ritsuka has nothing to do with this. And it's not your business, how I should speak. Besides, I think you are delusional."

"Excuse me?"

"I was not your student, Minami-sensei..."

Ritsu was about to interject the ridiculous statement, before his mind overthought the possibilities of his speech, they would hardly bring him any clearance, so the headmaster chose against speaking. The man clammed his mouth shut, after he noticed it, being widely agape and big enough to swallow a lion. Looking on the bright side, now the silveret knew, that the crystal ball had indeed done something.

For a short minute, silence was eminent between the two, while Soubi leisurely drank his coffee.

"So," Ritsu slowly cleared his throat in order to catch Soubi's attention. "Who was your teacher then?"

"I don't want to talk about her..."

"Nagisa?" The headmaster guessed, releasing a heavy sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose soon after. If she truly taught Soubi, than no wonder his prized student was ruined. He acted like an uneducated brat, in Ritsu's eyes. With Nagisa's way of teaching, that should have been expected. The Zeroes' behavior was a great example of that. Still the silver-haired man felt a twinge of irritation and discontent of letting go.

Soon enough the blonde responded, making his companion glance back up.

"No, my teacher was not Nagisa-sensei. But I'm quite surprised, Minami. It hadn't been that many years, since I left Seven Voices, hmm, probably four, I'm not sure... Still that's not a lot of time, and you still managed to forget everything about me. Well, that's some parenting."

"So I was your guardian, eh?"

"What?"

"Forget that..." Ritsu grunted, before hiding the lower half of his face with the mug, so the blonde wouldn't notice his anxious and baffled expression. It seemed that at least a hundred of rebellious or outrageous thoughts ran around in the headmaster's brain, just wishing to be set free from their leashes like mutts into the bright wilderness of the world. Ritsu couldn't afford that grave mistake, he avoided them as if they were signs of a plague.

"You still have something to say." Soubi observed, while peering at Ritsu's jumpy pupils. The younger man leaned back suddenly, with a creak of the chair and pushed his now empty cup away. He settled comfortably, laying his entwined hands' fingers lazily on his stomach. " Well, you came to talk, so let it all out."

"What if I don't want to?"

"I'll force you to. I don't like people saying crap behind my back."

"Oh, if you are worried about that, I can calm you down, that it's not the case..." Ritsu shook his head, barely containing his misleading smirk. And Soubi clapped his hands together happily, thus amplifying his enthusiasm.

"Than that's wonderful! It means you can start speaking."

"...You won't believe me, even if I tell you." Ritsu exhaled after a brief pause, before pushing himself away from the table. "But I don't think, there's any harm in it. Wait a minute, I'll show you..."

He came back, carrying his coat and the crystal bubble. The object sparked the blonde's interest, as he instantly sat straight, gazing at the mysterious orb. Ritsu placed it in the middle of the table and stood behind the chair with crossed arms.

"This is the Reality Bubble. A salesman forced me to try it. It shifts the reality to the person's liking... And in my reality, there were some things, that we disagreed upon. Some mistakes were made... " He paused, averting his eyes from Soubi and clenched his fingers at that sentence, mentally prompting himself to continue. "From my side... Our relationship was strained. I wanted to fix it, that's how I ended up wishing upon the Reality Bubble and winded up in this world, where I'm not your teacher."

"Huh..." A scarce note escaped the baffled blonde, while he reached out to tap the orb, causing a sweet cling to manifest. Ritsu's shoulders relaxed in that moment, perhaps this whole ordeal wasn't such a horrible idea. Although that blissful thought was drowned out by Soubi.

"I never thought, you were the one to believe such childish things. You are full of surprises, Minami-sensei." The blonde smiled, while Ritsu's lips barely twitched as if wanting to cut off the monologue. Alas he stayed silent - it would be foolish to bark like a wrathful dog now... And soon enough Ritsu was glad, he didn't speak, as he heard Soubi's words, that made his eyes widen.

"But I would like to try this magic out for myself."

"Oh? What for, might I ask?"

"Hey, I didn't pry into your life's fuck ups. So leave me be."

"_Language_, Soubi-kun..." The silver-haired man muttered, before stepping closer to the middle of the wooden table. It had obviously seen better days, as was proven by the absence of polish, giving the wood a darker, boring shade and the visible splinters that hung on the sides of it. Ritsu finally came to his destination, as he covered the crystal orb with his palm. Soubi's expression momentarily grimaced, before Ritsu handed the blonde the desired item. "And if you want to make a wish, give it a go."

Soubi's eyes seemed to spark then, as he entwined his hands around the object protectively. And Ritsu stood beside him, with a devious smirk and hands tightly clasped behind his back. A whole silent minute had passed, while Soubi caressed the Reality Bubble in thought, before timidly asking.

"So all I have to do is say, what I want?"

"No... You also have to walk around in a dress for a couple of hours." Ritsu said. Suddenly Soubi's face became sour, before a realization hit him like a lightning bolt. He looked at the silveret in bewilderment, already imagining the worst of himself and at the same time creating a cute scene of the headmaster dancing around the flowerbeds in a floral dress and his signature cigarette sticking out from his lips... Now _that_ would be a sight to behold... Although Ritsu's next words lay his idea to waste.

"That was sarcasm, Soubi-kun. Why do you take everything so literally?"

Soubi grunted, before shifting his attention to the crystal orb in hopes of diminishing the mountain of humiliation, that had arose. In the meantime Ritsu smirked at the glorious outcome. His student or not, it was still a remarkable feeling to play with Soubi's emotions and see, what kind of different faces it would bring. Priceless. And the man soon found himself closing his eyes and having his psyche flooded with all of those mind games he used to pull on Soubi, when the later was just scared little a child. Those were the times, it was a pity, that this Soubi hadn't recalled them...

But Ritsu's memory lane was soon blocked, due to the loud shuffling and clinging, which manifested. He parted his eyes to notice Soubi all over the apartment, carrying and dropping various things in the haste. Ritsu cocked an eyebrow, seeing the Reality Bubble unceremoniously rolling on the ground. What did he miss? A smoke alarm?

"I'm heading to meet Ritsuka. His classes should end pretty soon." Soubi eventually explained, while putting his purple coat on and rummaging through it's pockets.

Ah, yes. The headmaster sighed, that was the reason of this chaos. It made sense.

"Let me guess, your wish had something to do with the young Aoyagi, right?"

"Yeah..." Soubi nodded hurriedly, then parted the door. He gave one last glance at the man left behind." Stay here, Minami-sensei. I'll come back later."

X X X

After a little more than ten minutes, Soubi reached the school and it's giant gates, that met his back on a thousand of occasions, when the man had been waiting for Ritsuka to appear. Honestly Soubi didn't knew, why did he chose the exact same spot nearly everyday, perhaps, that specific piece of iron drew him in... If that was possible. So this time, conscious of his choice, he chose the opposite side of the gate's entrance.

He set his eyes at the bare trees in the distance. They stood there on the sidewalk, that had been once masked with piles of golden leaves. Their outstretched, shivering branches swayed sluggishly with tedious pauses in contrast with the pale sky. He never liked this kind of weather. It was cold and empty of colour. The nature didn't change in these months as if asking to be allowed to fall into slumber between the warm bedding of the soil and the additional cover of snow. The silent breeze even caused Soubi's eyelids to start fluttering. He emitted a fatigued breath, shaking his head to get rid of his tiredness. And right at that time he saw children beginning to shuffle their way past him and the old ladies stare at him with the boring, displeased looks. They had probably grew accustomed to him, leaning here everyday. At least they stopped bothering him with questions, good grief...

"Soubi!"

"Good afternoon, Soubi-san..."

The man turned his head, spotting Ritsuka and Yayoi coming his way. His eyes scanned the other students near the duo. There was no sign of Yuiko, that was rare, she usually attended school. Although he had to admit, that it had became rather chilly nowadays, she could've caught a cold. Soon enough Soubi was thrown out of his thoughts, when he felt frail arms wrap around his waist. The man instantly stepped backwards in disarray, but the raven-haired teenager still clung to him a little too tightly though.

"Ah... Good to see you too, Ritsuka..." The blonde trailed off, trying to dislodge the boy's fingers from his back. However Ritsuka moved away himself after a second, flashing Soubi a confused expression.

"I missed you, Soubi. You didn't came for a couple of days now. Did something happen?"

"Ah... No. I guess... I was preoccupied with unfinished projects, that's all." Soubi lied, mentally beating himself to recall, where had he been these past days and why hadn't he picked the boy up from school. Nothing relevant popped up though.

"Huh. We havn't seen you for a while, Soubi-san. Ritsuka was beginning to get worried." Yayoi stated and Soubi narrowed his eyes. A trail of concern was beginning to settle in his mind, at the girl's absence. So he parted his mouth again.

"Where's Yuiko-chan?"

"Who?"

"Hawatari Yuiko. Your pink-haired friend, Yayoi-kun."

"Ah..." The boy scratched his chin, before turning to face Ritsuka, who was looking for something in his messenger's bag. "Do you know who's Yuiko? Is she in our class?"

"I don't think so. I never heard of her." Ritsuka answered nonchalantly, whilst his tail gently swayed. Finally he got out two chocolate bars, before seeking for another one.

The words of his sacrifice made Soubi blink in confusion. As much as he remembered, Yuiko was indeed Ritsuka's classmate, he wasn't sure about Yayoi on the other hand though. But they were friends, so it wouldn't be possible for them to forget about her. Soubi bit the inside of his cheek, meanwhile Ritsuka handed the wrapped chocolate bar to Yayoi, before coming to the blonde.

"There you go!" He took Soubi's right hand, placing the wrapped candy into it. Soubi just then forced to lift his dumbfounded pupils at Ritsuka. And the boy shrugged his shoulders, slowly hiding his hands behind his back. "Mom gave them to me."

"Your mother?" Soubi lowered his head, his tone dropping by at least a few notes. His mind remained skeptic: _'You mean, the psychotic mother, who used to beat you?'_

"Yeah!" Ritsuka nodded.

And Soubi's eyes suddenly drifted to the familiar pink-haired girl, who was hurrying through the gates. She stepped on the snow and the scarce formed puddles on the walkway without care. That was Yuiko. But her fast footsteps quickly built a distance between her and Soubi. Ritsuka was chatting with Yayoi not even giving a glimpse at the silhouette of the girl. Perhaps they had never noticed her, to begin with. And Soubi began to wonder, how would things unfold further, if Yuiko wouldn't befriend Ritsuka at all...

Soon enough the pink-haired teenager paused, then gave a glance back at the school's outline. Soubi hid his stare, while biting his lip. At least he caught a glimpse of her expression, it wasn't something he liked. That face just didn't portray the typical, joyful and loud Yuiko. She was running away. The blonde wanted to help, he wanted this reality to be as similar to the one, he remembered, with the only difference - his sacrifice's happiness. That was the wish he made to the Reality Bubble. Fortunately, it seemed, the gods above heard the man's cry, as he spotted Yuiko bend down to tie her shoe laces. Soubi smiled, before clearing his throat.

"Ritsuka, go talk to her."

"What?" The dark-haired boy paused and Yayoi's gave an interested ear as well.

"Ah. I'm sure she's an interesting person."

"How do you know?" Yayoi lifted an eyebrow.

"I have a reliable hunch." Soubi winked, trying to persuade. And fortunately they called out to Yuiko and walked over to her cautiously.

The blonde's gut was telling him, that this winter was a start of something wonderful. Maybe it was fate, that granted him this opportunity and the power of the Reality Bubble, which lay securely in his pocket. Whatever it was, Soubi was grateful. These events gifted him the only thing, the man wanted. As long as he could see Ritsuka's smiling face, he would be content.

Nonetheless Soubi's pleased expression didn't last long, once he made out a tall person, confidently walking towards him. Sweat began to trickle down Soubi's face and he exhaled a stammering breath.

Everything came with a price it seemed. And sometimes people tended to overpay...

"Long time no see. _Eh,_ Soubi-kun?..."


	3. Chapter III:This was fated

Writing date: 05-05; 09-09

_Hey, welcome back, I got another chapter edited and ready to go! The next week will be hectic for me. (I think it became this semester's habit.) Anyway I'll try to upload two chapters in the span of it._

-**X**-**X**-**X**-

Ritsu emitted a sigh. Soubi surely took his time, picking up the Aoyagi. Time, that the headmaster didn't have to spare. He had things to attend to, places to be, papers to sort... Alas for some reason fatigue overtook him, rendering the man unmoving from his seat. So for these passing minutes he sat at Soubi's table, leaning his cheek at the palm, until his face slowly slid away, falling flat on the desk with a thump. Soon enough he heard a few pairs of footsteps nearing the door. Ritsu lifted himself to sit straight. Though as the door swung open, nearly cracking a hole in the wall, the sleepiness dissipated as if on cue. A loud woman's voice took the stage.

"So that's where you've been hiding, eh?!"

"Sensei, please..." Soubi's earnest request was eminent from behind the female.

"Sensei?" Ritsu cocked an eyebrow, eyeing the middle-aged green-haired woman. She reminded him of someone, but he couldn't say who exactly. The man folded his arms below his chest. "So you're Soubi-kun's teacher, I presume. It's a pleasure to meet the person, who's responsible for raising such an uneducated dimwit."

"Hey, don't ridicule Sanae-sensei or me at that matter." Soubi interrupted, coming into view with a dumbfounded Ritsuka next to him. Ritsu frowned, before trailing his eyes back at the woman. He articulated slowly, his mind lost in disbelief.

"... Sanae?"

" Have you managed to forget my name already?" Sagan Sanae asked, then walked closer to the table and leaned into the silver-haired man's face with a gentle smile. "Guess an old man can't help but forget things. Still, I hope, you recall, why did you run away from Seven Voices a week ago."

"Wha..." Ritsu's voice got caught in his throat, while an involuntary shiver wrecked his body. Yet Sanae, seemed oblivious. When no sound came from the man in the next minute, she moved away.

"I see, you won't talk again. We were searching for you these past couple of days... We were all worried about your sudden disappearance, my bond couldn't even reach you. It's like it hit a wall, refusing to connect. What did you do?"

The man sat quiet, keeping his palms resting on his thighs in defeat, as if being cornered and blamed for murder. He took in the foreign information greedily, trying to retain at least a drop of sense, but his mind soon abandoned the current matter, settling on a more personal question. How in the world did his wish to befriend Soubi brought back his fighter to life? Could the Reality Bubble even change something so outrageous? Sanae had died in an accident a lot of years ago, falling into a pond. But Ritsu thought the event to be predestined by her own stupidity and a desire to control him. However in this world, Sanae was howering above him with a commanding glare. Perchance he was just imagining her, instead of another teacher with the same name? Perhaps this was just a coincidence? He had to make sure.

And so the silver-haired man's eyes traveled to her right wrist. It was covered by the violet jacket she wore, although the scarce letterings were still visible. Ritsu frowned upon the discovery, whilst clenching the spot of his own true name tightly. Now this pivoted down quickly.

"I have no explanation..."

"Really? Then where have you been, Ritsu?" Sanae questioned further, though as the silver-haired man's lips were sealed, she turned to her student. " Was he staying at your place, Soubi-kun?"

"No. He came here a couple of hours ago. Didn't say from where..." The blonde admitted. And Ritsu gave him a glance, as his mind barked furiously: _'You're not helping, Soubi-kun!'_

"So unless he speaks up, this is a mystery..." Sanae concluded, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. Soon enough she left the subject, going over to Ritsuka and fawning over him.

Ritsu emitted a breath, while Soubi placed the crystal ball in front of the older man and out of Sanae's view. The blonde's face seemed to shine, as he said.

"It worked."

"Hmm? Well that's good to hear. So what changed?"

"I'm not sure yet... Ritsuka just seems overly happy."

"In my eyes you're the one, who's cheerful. Ritsuka-kun..." Ritsu gave a bored glance at the boy, who had been talking to Sanae about some sort of a video game. "Well, he's the same, as I remember."

Soubi held the eye-contact with the man in front of him for a few silent seconds.

"It would be nice to meet you again in Wisdom Resurrection. I haven't seen you online for a while, Sanae-sensei." Ritsuka said in the meantime.

"Well, my work doesn't leave many hours for gaming. But one day, we're gonna go at it." She giggled, then ruffled the boy's hair. And in doing so she earned a deathly glare from Soubi. The female's pupils pulled away from the blonde, and she added to the previous conversation." Can't wait to see the newly obtained level."

"Ehm..." Soubi finally bud in, seeming not too pleased with Sanae's presence. "Didn't you say, that you needed to find Minami?"

"Yeah?"

"So you just did. Unless you have any other business I'd like you to leave."

"Ah? Isn't that a little too sudden?" Sanae leant her cheek at her shoulder. And Ritsuka gloomily glanced between the two, a hint of irritation was edged onto Soubi's grimace and the man's clenched fists. The teenager didn't know, why this emotion was directed at Sanae though. Before Ritsuka could ask, the green-haired female emitted a sigh, receding. "Fine. I guess, I'll see you two next time. Come on, Endless, let's go."

Ritsu drew up, preparing to follow his fighter albeit reluctantly. He was stopped by Soubi, as the latter caught him by the wrist. Ritsu gave the blonde a dumbfounded look.

"Wait a minute, Minami-sensei... The air outside has gotten worse."

Ritsu took a glimpse towards the window, he spoted a snowstorm outside. He had seen worse weather and survived, _obviously_. So why was Soubi worried? His eyes returned to peer at the blonde, and the latter smiled kindly, while holding a red scarf. Ritsu just shook his head at the offering.

"Soubi-kun, don't be such a worrywart. I'll manage without your aid."

However, ignoring that statement, Soubi securely hid Ritsu's throat with the cloth, not leaving a single gap. The silver-haired man was taken aback at first, but managed to give a nod of gratitude after Soubi finished. It felt so foreign to direct that kind of emotion toward him, hence why the silver-haired man hadn't said anything out loud. Ritsu's throat seemed to get restricted at that very moment as if afraid to utter that simple word. He was still mulling over the event and the lingering touch after they had disappeared. He knew, that this scenario would never play out, if everything would have gone the way, they had supposed to. So that was, why his mind was set on a mission to treasure the memory.

"Idiot..." Ritsu spat finally, breaking Soubi's smile into bits, before he followed his fighter. On his way one of his hands were clasped protectively around the garment.

After both Sanae and Ritsu were gone out of sight, Soubi closed the door, then turned around to glance at Ritsuka. He was setting his books on the table, probably preparing to do homework.

"Sorry for that, Ritsuka..."

"Dont worry, I get it. You don't like Sanae-sensei."

Soubi gave a nod in response, while his mind was planning to determine, what exactly had the crystal ball altered.

X X X

"Sanae!" A joyful voice evoke, when the Endless pair crossed the gates of Seven Voices academy. And Ritsu noted Nagisa, running toward them with outstretched arms. Now she seemed like a scarecrow, an expensive scarecrow at that, especially with that Lolita clothing.

"Sanae, where were you?!" She hugged her sister, both spinning and giggling. In the meantime Ritsu moved to the side, with a slight pinch of his lips:_ 'Nagisa's sister complex, right...'_

"I... had... Some errands to run." Sanae eventually breathed out her excitement, while patting Nagisa's back lightly. Suddenly the green-haired female motioned her head towards the man." Look, I brought back Ritsu."

"Oh! That's so wonderful, you're such a good person."

"Yeah... Cou... could you let me go? You're crushing me."

As if fearful of a fire outbreak, Nagisa jerked back, producing apologies on top of bows. Sanae waved them off, before giving a glance to the silveret.

"I think we should get going, what do you say, Ritsu?"

"We might..." He shrugged and Nagisa's eyes jumped between the two, in something akin to irritation. Ritsu made a mental note, that at least she stayed the same, whether it was for better or worse.

"But I wanna spend time with Sanae, because you're busy during most of the day anyway! Not fair!" Nagisa bursted out, finishing with a drawn out whine. However Sanae's face still radiated with tranquility. It acted, as a shield to the menacing atmosphere.

"We could go for sake, in the evening, if that's what you want." Sanae stated, and Nagisa's eyes instantly fixated on her. Sanae gave a pat on her sister's head and eventually walked off, Ritsu followed in toe.

"I'm still waiting for your explanation, don't forget that, Ritsu." The green-haired female reminded sharply, when they were walking through the large corridors of the academy. While Sanae was exchaning small greetings with their coworkers, Ritsu reluctantly shambled behind. Soon enough they reached the office with a number card, set against the door's surface. 114. An all too familiar number to Ritsu, he had worked in that office for a lot of years now. Sanae parted the door, stepping in, and revealing the interior to her colleague. Ritsu scrutinized his own office for a minute, before he notted, that Sanae was still holding the door for him. The man quickly stepped in...

Something was missing...

His eyes spotted the absence of the wooden frames, that once used to hang on the walls, housing his precious butterflies. Who took them off without his permission? A frown was set on his face now, as he took in the office further.

"What's the matter, Ritsu?" Sanae sighed, spotting the discomfort edged onto the man's features, and how he observed the numerous papers and books littered on the desk. Ritsu snarled.

"What happened here?"

"What do you mean?"

"This place is a mess, when did I ask anyone to take down the butterflies?"

Sanae gazed at him for a short minute, before indifferently browsing through the documents, a few of them were dropped to the floor, yet the woman payed no mind, she continued to make a mess. Ritsu's eyes flinched, and so his voice was raised.

"What in the world are you doing here, Sanae? Leave my office alone, before you make it any worse, than it already is."

The female's movements froze at those words and a giggle evoke.

"Your office?! What a dreamer you are!"

"What?"

Sanae didn't answer, instead she picked the file, that she had been searching for, placed it in the middle of the desk, then casually flopped down in the chair, leaning back. The silent atmosphere made Ritsu's heart sink to the very bottom, maybe even below. And as he spotted the nearly fallen framed photo, of Sanae and Nagisa together, everything came crashing down.

"I need some time to clear my mind. Can, we talk later?" Ritsu asked, lowering his head and hiding his gaze. The anger hadn't subsided in him quite yet. Nonetheless the silver-haired man saw, that it would be worthless to continue this conversation.

"Sure, take your time, old man... But you'll have to fess up, before the evening anyway."

"Got it, see you then..." Ritsu turned to leave, but paused in his steps, when he heard a disrespectful snicker. He frowned. "Care to enlighten me, what's so funny?"

"Uhu... nothing much." Sanae waved her palm in the air." It's just, that you never used to talk like this before."

"Really?"

"You were always so... How should I put it? Quiet, and certainly not this polite. It's like your attitude turned upside down."

After that was settled, the silver-haired man's fists periodically clenched, while he was walking through the hallway. Honestly, this outcome couldn't have been worse. More importantly - a question popped into the silver-haired man's head - what were his achievements, motivation in this world? If he was not the principal of Seven Voices, who was he then?

As Ritsu rounded the corner, he came across his own room in the underground level. However the key did not fit, causing the man to search for another door, that presumably would be his sleeping quarters.

In the end the room wasn't what Ritsu expected. The walls were covered with a thick layer of soot, in some places the cement was crumbling down from the ceiling. Moreover the corners of the place were littered with junk, broken chairs, books, glass shards, window frames and mundane cutlery - in other words, clearly unneeded things. It was as if this place was used more as a storage, than a bedroom. Honestly, it was hard for Ritsu to imagine himself sleeping here. Few minutes inside and the sight already burned his eyes. Hadn't he ever thought of throwing all of this away? Why did his previous self let all of the trash pile up? None of it made sense.

The man tried to press the light switch, but got a smear of soot on his fingers as a reward. The light was absent. Then his eyes barely made out the outlines of a barricaded door, which was opposite from him. He attempted to get closer, though soon abandoned his idea, when the glass shards began to mask nearly every centimeter of the floor, it looked as if somebody decided to exchange birthday streamers for something cheaper. With the distance, that the silver-haired man covered, he leaned forward at the set floorboards against the wall to grab for the door handle. He noticed a mocking hole in it's place. So there was no way to part the door after all. He frowned, fixed his composure and went back to inspect another piece of furniture, that had picked his interest.

On the left, opposite from the only window in the room, was a pitch black furnace, no wonder... As the man shambled closer, he spotted pieces of paper, sticking out like a fiery tongue, they hung loosely off of a lion's den. He took them out, noting the flood of ashes, which had fallen alongside and now freely assaulted his nose. The scraps of paper had burnt edges, and seemed to be ripped out of some sort of reports or even books. There were a few words and numbers, that remained visible:

_'...Seven Voices academy, building nr. 2...'_

_'...A person's body language can often show his mood, or whether...'_

_'...The CNS or central nervus system is located in the brain and the spinal cord...'_

The last two excerpts were from psychology and medical books. Still, Ritsu could not fathom a reason to burn something so valuable. Moreover, if this was his room, wasn't the silveret himself responsible? Suddenly the man threw the scraps back, where they belonged, shutting the furnace straight after. There was a sudden bile of disgust rising up his throat.

After that the man wasted another minute to scrutinize the unseen area, before he emitted a sigh and carefully sat on the worn out bed, which released a horrid squeak in protest.

The only window stood close by, alas it was shaded by the soot, making it nearly impossible to see the outside. The outlines of the trees barely met his vision. Ritsu narrowed his eyes, but that attempt just blurred the poor scenery even more. The man thought, that perhaps the wind was rising outside and causing the branches to shiver. Time was moving there, yet it felt so stagnant inside. He slowly looked around for anything else, but the darkened walls proved to be as boring as the history lessons back in the day... Why did this place feel as if it had been soaked in some ominous, foul tasting potions?

Just how had he managed to live in here?

While those thoughts were chewed by his psyche, the silver-haired man buried his hands in his coat's pockets, soon revealing the crystal ball. He stared at the construction mindlessly, before placing it on the dusty windowsill nearby.

He had to do something. He won't stand having this kind of life - this utter humiliation. The man had to make a wish again, however the words must be picked carefully this time.

Although instead of formulating sentences, Ritsu found himself falling down on the bed. The shadowy reflections of the branches danced on the ceiling, causing a scent of intrusion.

After a minute of gazing upwards, the silver-haired man's thoughts leaped into not a comfortable subject. This other _'Ritsu'_, who lived in these hideous conditions, just how come he fell so down? If he was a replica, then he had the same temperament, right? Of course the behavior and responses to events might have changed, considering the surroundings, that the other _'Ritsu'_ grew up in and the people, who he deemed important - how they conversed, how were problems solved... Other people could have influenced the behavioral side immensely. Or perchance this far away past had nothing to do with this? In that case the root of the event was accidental... And Sanae's being here was not that important to it.

If this was fated, couldn't it mean, Ritsu might one day follow the same steep decline in life?

X X X

"Ah, Sanae, good morning!" Nagisa smiled, seeing her sister come down the hallway. The former seemed to radiate joy as per usual. Perhaps it was radioactive? If so, the whole floor should probably be banned from walking. The green-haired female emitted a built up sigh, when Nagisa gave her a tight squeeze and exclaimed.

"I missed my most beloved sister!"

"Don't tell me, that you have another one." Sanae seemed dazed either from the lack of oxygen, or from the misleading phrase. Dear, she hoped, that Nagisa hadn't cloned herself, although Sanae could never be sure, into what kind of biological nonsense the blue-haired scientist had decided to dig her teeth into.

"What?"

"Eh, forget it, Nagisa..." The green-haired woman pried the foreign hands apart as if freeing herself from the jaws of a shark. Suddenly Sanae's expression lit up into a devious smirk, when she saw Ritsu lazily shambling their way. Something was off, besides the fact, that the man was wearing a coat and a red scarf indoors. He seemed upset about something. Still, Sanae, faced him fully, fixing a commanding gaze. She came closer to the man.

"You missed the meeting yesterday. I said for you to come after I had finished work." She said, while her fingers ran along the scarlet scarf. She tugged on it lightly, allowing the spiral around Ritsu to deteriorate bit by bit. "I also made the effort to buy three sets of meals. You know, I don't like food getting wasted."

At that Nagisa bud in.

"Yeah! That's rude!"

"Well, I see you haven't died from finishing my portion. All's well that ends well." Ritsu muttered after an exaggerated exhale. Finally he stepped backwards, and allowed the remaining garment to fall off his neck. He took another stare at Nagisa, before letting out, what flew up his tongue. "What about the Zero project, Nagisa?"

"Zero project?"

"Forget that I said anything..." It was stupid of him, to assume Nagisa would try to challenge her sister's way of teaching, that would be preposterous, but his curiosity would not leave that unsolved. Suddenly the silveret turned his attention to Sanae." I actually have a question for you too."

"Yes?"

"Have you seen a crystal ball laying around somewhere?"

"You mean the trash in your room?"

"Is there anything _besides_?" Nagisa asked sarcastically. Sanae emitted a snicker, while wrapping her shoulders with the stolen scarf. And Nagisa, feeling encouraged, added to her little ridicule. "I don't know, what surprises me more! The fact, that Ritsu hadn't drank anything yesterday, or that he finally tries to organize his room."

"_Aha!_ That's a _real_ mystery! Plus him leaving the premises, for the first time in like... Uhm. _Fifteen years_?" Sanae waved her hand in the air as if wanting to state the hideous number for showcase on her palm. Ritsu narrowed his eyes, before spitting out, just as fiercely.

"You mean to tell me, that I am a drunkard, with no career and no sense of dignity, living under my fighter's wing?"

"You basically summed it up. But don't look so down, my dear!" Sanae coaxed, reaching to smooth the man's hair like a mother would for her child. However Ritsu pulled back, causing the green-haired woman to pause midway. " There are many places, where you are needed."

Ritsu rose an eyebrow, although allowed the comment to slide, and changed the subject all together.

"Sanae, I don't have time for this pointless chat. Have you seen a crystal ball, or haven't you?"

"Now that you mention it. I think I've caught something like that in your room this morning." The woman hummed. She added indifferently after a brief halt. "I broke it."

Ritsu stared at her in disbelief. However his confusion swiftly turned into boiling rage.

"Do you realize, what have you done?!"

"Not really, was that jewelry important to you?" Sanae shrugged, while holding a smile. And Ritsu barked further.

"For your information, Sanae, I'm not the broken down idiot, that you had grown to call your sacrifice. That crystal ball, was my ticket out of this, and you destroyed it!"

"I don't understand..." Sanae narrowed her eyes, at her colleague's lashing out. Meanwhile Nagisa hid behind her sister, and dared to peek at Ritsu, just when he had finished.

"So was that some kind of magic or something?"

"I made a wish and the ball granted it. But like you'd give a damn about that." The silver-haired man released a grunt. The shock reflected in his body movements, as the man ran a shaky hand through his hair. " I have to leave. Excuse me."

X X X

Ritsu finally made it to the train station near the Yukimura village. Funny, how the village itself represented snow, even more hilarious was the fact, that the man never gave an eye to that. At least he did not recall that name, to his knowledge it used to be different, but his drained, stressed out mind failed to recount anything to back that theory up. Perhaps this was another trick of the Reality Bubble? Yukimura was situated after the woods, that protectively circled Seven Voices academy. The forest was quite vast, but knowing some shortcuts, one could get to this village twice as fast, than going around, if they wouldn't lose their tracks inside the woods, of course.

Ritsu stood, with a few other people, waiting for a train to Tokyo, on the cement platform, which was slightly moist from the melted snow. This was probably the only public transport near Gora, and the only way to get out of there for Ritsu. The man was fidgeting the ticket between his fingers, unable to stop his mind from replaying all, that he had heard and all the suspicions, that arose like demons to cloud the chaos even more.

"There he is!" Someone exclaimed. But Ritsu remained oblivious, allowing other people around him to deal with the intruders. He had enough of those unwanted guests in his mind. A pat on the shoulder rendered his attempts useless.

"Hey, Ritsu, answer. Are you that mad at us?" Nagisa's pleading voice and a warm wave of air invaded his ears from behind. In the meantime Sanae jumped in front of him, her nose shone bright red, and she had put on Soubi's red scarf and a small backpack.

"Ritsu..." The green-haired woman's voice was reluctant to escape the throat and got lost somewhere in it's way. The man in question gazed behind her. His patience was wearing thin, always gnawed at, the forced physical contact seemed to scorch his shoulder too. Where was that train? It was supposed to arrive a few minutes ago...

"Ritsu, please, listen to me... It was a joke, I didn't know, that you'd react that way. I'm sorry..." Sanae added.

Nagisa's face shot up in front of his vision too.

"Yeah! There still must be a way to fix that thing. We'll think of something together!"

"Just... don't leave..." A puny voice echoed straight after, and it took several minutes for Ritsu to realize, that it had been Sanae, who also robbed his hand into her chapped, frozen palms... He glimpsed at her attempt to comfort him. The same meaningless words floated back to his perception. "Don't leave..."

Suddenly the train's screech reverberated around the station. A sign on the transport read: _Gora - Tokyo_. An abrupt wave of relief washed over him then, and the silveret's legs carelessly pushed forward, leaving the noxious thoughts behind. He clenched the ticket as if it were a lifeline. Unfortunately Ritsu was yanked back by the shoulder, forced to halt. He glanced back, locking his eyes with Sanae's frightful pupils. Her voice however lacked the fear, her body produced.

"Ritsu, where are you going? Don't you see, that you are making a mistake? You have no home there, no job and barely money to survive a day. What will you do?"

"I don't need you to babysit me." He eventually spat back. "I just wish, that you would have died back in the day, like you should've..."

After those words, Sanae's grip loosened and Ritsu took that silent moment to slip free. After a while the silveret sat in the train, idly laying his chin on the prompted palm, in the meantime he fixated his eyes on the window. As the vehicle began to move, Ritsu spotted Nagisa leaning her face towards Sanae, her lips never meeting each other for a shut. Alas the green-haired female held her tensely hunched back to the man, so he could not see her expression. If he put his mind to it, perhaps he could imagine, how Nagisa sweet-talked to cheer her sister, or how Sanae politely dismissed her. However the man just snarled, shutting his eyes to shoo those thoughts. He dared to part them after a handful of seconds, when he was sure, that the Sagan sisters were out of sight. The train was barely moving still. Soon a short second of tranquility passed over his body, until it was interrupted by a new sets of worries.

An odd entity inside his mind, prompted the silveret to glance back at the Yukimura station one last time. The edges of his eyes caught something, that made him shook. There in Sanae's hand lay a see-through bubble, and when Ritsu squinted his eyes, he could see the female's mouth delivering unheard words. The silveret's posture shivered as if he was struck with a horrid flu.

"Crystal Ball, I wish for Ritsu to remain by my side."


	4. Chapter IV: Defective

Writing date: 09-09; 09-29

-**X**-**X**-**X**-

The lessons had gone by smoothly, leaving Ritsuka with the same aura as always. The same responsibilities hung around his mind, but he promised to worry about them later, even though his mother began to complain about the increasing lower grades. Rituska just figured, that he'll get a few higher ones in the end of the semester. That should put him right on track again... He hoped... But today was not the day to fret. And Ritsuka nailed that fact to heart, as he stood in front of a closed classroom, he soon spotted Yayoi running towards him from the hallway.

"I cleared it out! This club's a go!" He cheered.

"That's perfect! Now we just have to wait for Yuiko-chan to show up."

"You think, she will? I mean, we barely know her. And she didn't seem like she would be interested in board games that much..." Yayoi stated the obvious as if piercing Ritsuka right in the chest.

"So what do you want to do?"

"It's Wednesday. I have to go to the music club."

"H-huh?! Then why did we plan to make a board game club in the first place?!"

"I don't know..." Yayoi shrugged absentmindedly, while Ritsuka's spirit continued to drop with every word. "I just didn't think, it would take this long to clear everything up."

"What about Yuiko-chan? We promised to meet here! She'll think, that we duped her!"

"She'll think, _you_ duped her. I have no say in this." The boy said. Then he whirled his head to the exit, noticing the mentioned girl come their way. Yayoi gulped down the risen anxiousness, before quickly muttering to Ritsuka. "Think of something."

"Why me?! You're the one, who ruined this!"

"Ruined what?" Yuiko raised an eyebrow, when she was close enough to the both of them. Yayoi offered a sheepish grin. And Ritsuka awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Uhm. There was a problem with the confirmation of the club..."

"Oh? No worries. Yuiko came to tell you, that she won't be able to go. Yuiko is having arts and crafts club today." She smiled cheerfully at Ritsuka, who stood dumbfounded." Do you want to join, Ritsuka-kun, Yayoi-kun?"

"I'm already late for my music class, so maybe next time. See you!" Yayoi waved hastily. The girl seemed rather saddened at that fact. So Ritsuka shrugged, before murmuring.

"I could try."

The girl grinned at that.

"Thank you!"

Although the boy's enthusiasm was not destined to last. As Yuiko took Ritsuka to the previously mentioned activity, a dire realization hit, making him blush. Arts and crafts club. The boy was not particularly good, when it came to those kind of things. He'll stick out like a sore thumb! Could there be a way to back off?

X X X

Just after Ritsu had stepped off the train, he realized, that besides the want to get away from Seven Voices, he had no plans, how to go on. In so the man waltzed through the streets of Tokyo without much thought of a destination. After at least an hour, a giant gate began to accompany him, which Ritsu later understood, was boarding the school grounds. And soon enough his vision met a well known blonde-haired person. When the latter noticed the prolonged stare, he flinched - one would think - barely evading a heart attack.

"Oh, Minami-sensei, didn't expect to see you here of all places." Soubi exhaled tiredly." What kind of forces brought you here at such a time?... Came to pick someone up?" The light-haired man blinked at Ritsu's quietness. "Did a cat caught your tongue?"

"I was roaming..."

"Ah... I thought you had better things to do in your life, than to stalk me."

"I wasn't stalking you. This was accidental." The silveret grunted, before running a hand through his hair. A moment of silence erupted between the two, and in that time the blonde leaned back at the gate's entrance.

"Hmm... So what do you want, if this was accidental?"

Ritsu parted his mouth, though nothing came out. He waited for Soubi to continue.

"I don't know, if I'll have time to help you with anything. I'm waiting for Ritsuka..." The light-haired male said, and Ritsu raised an eyebrow at him. Wasn't it quite late for him to still be in school? However both of them didn't have to wait for long, because Ritsuka's frame showed up from the school's exit. Seeing that, Soubi waved his hand in front of an irritated Ritsu, who was in the process of taking out his last 'cancer stick'.

"Don't smoke here."

Ritsu's dull gaze was the only response after a few seconds. It seemed like his comprehension was slowed down to a snail's crawl. So Soubi hastily tore the cigarette away from him, just in time before the dark-haired boy came up. The blonde smiled warmly at his sacrifice.

"Hey, so how was the club?"

"Not bad..." Ritsuka shrugged his shoulders, glancing away. Scratch that, it was horrendous, and served as another glaring hint, that the boy was not skilled at drawing, nor sewing. Another fact, that had picked at him, was that the club consisted of girls. Sticking out seemed like a weak phrase to sum all the discomfort, that the boy felt in that dreadful hour. However the teenager's thoughts were cut short, when he heard someone call out. He tensed up.

"Ritsuka-kun, wait for me!" Yuiko exclaimed, running toward the trio at the gate. When she finally caught up, the girl glanced between the two grown-ups in bewilderment.

"Ah, that's Soubi." Ritsuka motioned his hand at the blonde man.

"Oh! I'm Hawatari Yuiko, nice to meet you, Soubi-san!" She bowed to him slightly. When she rose her head, a grin was painted on her face. "Ritsuka-kun, mentioned you!"

At that Soubi glanced at his sacrifice in confusion. The boy sulked, muttering.

"You were the one, with that weird hunch. I gave you credit. Without you, I probably would have never met Yuiko-chan."

The mentioned girl smiled at that. While Ritsuka's perception caught a pair of foreign eyes, which followed his movements, leaving prints of eeriness in it's wake. The boy's cat ears fell flat, and he involuntarily hunched his shoulders as if hoping to disappear from view. Soubi knitted his eyebrows, at the noticeable change.

"Is something wrong, Ritsuka?"

"N-no... Let's just go." The dark-haired teenager stuttered, leading Soubi away from the gate and barely remembering to say goodbye to Yuiko. However Ritsuka's problems didn't end soon, because the odd silveret trailed behind them, rather obviously too. A short exchange of words faintly reached Ritsuka's ears, making his fears grow. Was their follower a stalker of some kind? How come Soubi didn't bark at him to leave them both alone?

X X X

"Hey, Sou-chan!" Kio called out from the second floor entry of the apartment complex, where Soubi's place was located. The blonde exhaled heavily, already rummaging through his pockets for the key. He inquired, after he stepped closer to the shivering green-haired male, who was holding a shopping bag.

"How come you're here?"

"Because somebody has to make sure you're not thrown out of the uni!" Kio grunted, while embracing his own shoulders to collect a speck of warmth. After a second he poked at the blonde man's cheek teasingly. "Face it, Sou-chan, you still need a mother's care."

"I can pass the assignments without your aid."

"Sure you can, until the session comes knocking with academic debts in toe."

Suddenly Soubi swatted Kio's hand away, as if it was an annoying fly. When he was sure, that his friend was done with the antics, he unlocked the door, allowing both comrades entrance. Kio instantly went to the fridge, placing the ingredients, he had bought, inside. This was a rather weird sight for Ritsu.

"How long are you going to stand at the door?" Soubi's voice caught the silver-haired man's attention, causing a small shiver to wreck the other's posture, perhaps it was just the risen wind. "Come on in."

The silveret did as told, allowing Soubi to swiftly shut the door and the coldness behind him. Soon the blonde turned at Ritsu again, slightly displeased. He wanted for this to be done as quickly as possible.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

Before the silveret could figure out the reason himself, Kio bud in, coming to stand between the two.

"Wait a minute, what's happening here, Sou-chan?" He demanded. "What _talks_? Don't tell me, you're cheating on Rit-chan with this... this... old man?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ritsu nodded indifferently.

"Nobody asked you, weird guy! I'm speaking to Sou-chan!"

Alas Soubi pretended not to hear the tantrum, proceeding to take off his coat and shoes. Then he handed a pair of slippers to the silver-haired man, finally destroying Kio's patience, who in return whined, holding his head with both hands.

"I can't believe this! What in the world happened to you? I thought you being a shotacon was absurd, but now this? Sou-chan, what in the world is boiling in that head of yours?"

"Nabe..." Soubi smirked, while taking out a lighter for a quick smoke. Kio's eye twitched. "Speaking about Nabe, how about it? Do you want any?"

"No, I don't. Not until I figure out, what affairs are you planning behind my and poor Rit-chan's eyes!"

Soubi exhaled of the poisonous fume in defeat. He guessed, that Kio won't leave him alone, until the green-haired man got, what he desired. This whole conversation seemed like a bubble, with nothing but useless air inside.

"Alright, if you're that persistent, I'll introduce you two." The blonde motioned his hands at his companions exaggeratedly, as if conducting spells. "This is Minami Ritsu. Kaido Kio... There done."

"The name doesn't ring any bells." Kio narrowed his eyes doubtingly at the silveret. "Who is he to you?"

"A friend." Ritsu interrupted the dialogue, causing a befuddled glance from Soubi. The latter purposefully coughed as if the older man's words ticked him off.

"More like a pathetic guardian."

"Did you really had to say that, Soubi-kun?"

"Hey, it's the truth, no point in keeping it simple."

Kio let out an odd hum, faking his comprehension of the situation, perhaps it was better to leave it at that. Still the green-haired man swore to keep an eye on the two. Meanwhile Ritsu glared at Soubi for a moment, but the blonde dispelled the subject, with a sudden clap of his hands, like a transition to the scene.

"So, are we making that nabe or not? Ritsuka will come later anyway."

The blonde looked over at Kio and Ritsu. The two seemed as if they had sold their voices along with their expressions to the poorest bidder, and now regretted that action with their leftover faces. One part of Soubi even began to blame himself for putting those words out into the open. In the end, the blonde carefully tiptoed to the front door, so he could wait for Ritsuka's arrival. He decided, that letting them sort things on their own would be the best solution for now.

To Soubi's greatest fortune, Ritsuka soon parted the door, tripping, when he spotted Soubi's face looming near the doorway like a ghost. The boy nearly fell backward from the slippery, frozen platform. Soubi reached for the boy's hand just in time.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" The blonde breathed out his unease.

"Yeah... Thank's. What are you doing just standing there? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I think you're too young to have a heart attack." Soubi chuckled, fixing his composure and helping the boy stand to a halt as well. Ritsuka huffed at the older male's reaction.

"Hey, Rit-chan! Hadn't seen you in a while!" Kio emerged all of a sudden, putting an arm around the boy's shoulders. In the meantime, he gave a puzzled eye Soubi's way. "I thought, you said he was going to come later?"

"I guess, I miscalculated..."

"Big time." Kio mused. "So, Rit-chan, why didn't you come by earlier this week?"

"Ask Soubi, not me. He hadn't picked me up these past few days. He was busy with assignments."

"_Surely_..." A sarcastic remark flew free from it's hutch. The green-haired male's eyes leaped from the smoking blonde to the oblivious silveret, who tardily lent at the wall nearby. In this observation, Ritsuka slipped free from the older man's clutches. The boy inquired, noting Kio's pause.

"What's the matter?"

"Eh. forget it, Sou-chan probably has a secret career, he ain't telling us about."

The blonde blew out the smoke from the heated throat, as lightheadedness circled around his mind. Alas he could still feel Ritsuka's puzzled stare glued at him along with the flooding guilt in his psyche. They both needed answers, answers, that were long overdue, and hard to explain, while standing in this metaphorical quagmire. He didn't want to involve anymore people into this mess.

"Soubi..." Ritsuka's soft tone reached the blonde's ears, acting like a prompt for two sided ideas without any clearance to swarm in Soubi's mind. The man clenched the 'cancer stick' between his teeth.

"I'm sorry..."

"I... I just want an explanation. Why did you lie to me?" The dark-haired boy restated.

"I'm sorry..."

"Soubi?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Oh," Kio interrupted the monotonous dialogue with a snicker. "Here we go again. This won't proceed anytime soon."

The blonde finally met his sacrifice's eyes, taking in a deep inhale as if trying to ready himself for the outcome. Soubi wanted to shake his head, if it would only dissolve the sour atmosphere. Could he make a wish again just a small one? But soon enough his receptors registered a new pair of footsteps behind him. Ritsu cleared his throat, overlooking the scene.

"I have something to discuss with Soubi-kun. It would be delightful, if you'd give us some privacy."

"We are not finished yet, mind your own business!" Kio spat viciously.

"You can do that later. You both need a breather."

"Minami!" Soubi scolded, turning back at the man, who nonchalantly motioned his head at the table behind them. Soubi gritted his teeth at the older man, hoping for something more to run out of his mouth.

"Okay. Fine." Ritsuka eventually sighed, breaking the tension. "Kio, could you help me with my math homework?"

The green-haired man stared at the boy for a short second, before silently complying, lost in thought.

X X X

Ritsu had shared to Soubi, what had happened with Sanae and the Reality Bubble. In the end of the monologue the blonde allowed himself to emit a sigh and lean back in the chair.

"I knew Sanae-sensei was cunning, but this is crossing the line..."

Ritsu simply nodded, keeping is hands clasped together and resting on the table. Soubi continued.

"This prank just seems too outrageous, even for her. Are you sure you didn't annoy her?" The silveret looked him straight in the eyes, while Soubi clicked his tongue lazily. "I think you did..."

"So now it's _my_ fault?" The man restrained his voice to a grit.

"You can make, what you want of it. The result remains. Why do you think, that she actually made a wish?"

"Because before I knew, what Sanae did, I told her, how the Bubble works... And then I saw her..."

"But you hadn't heard, what she wished for, have you? It might have been a new pair of shoes at best." Soubi shrugged absentmindedly, while his eyes traced thin, rare lines sprawled on the colorless ceiling. He could feel a muffled exhale escape the other, the silveret obviously hadn't bought his words. Soubi's fingers tardily entwined around the cup. "Listen, Minami-san, I don't think you should worry that much. I mean, look around, nothing changed. We're calmly sipping tea, without Sanae-sensei's presence to ruin it. That means, even if sensei actually made a wish, it did not work. Who knows, maybe that bubble has a limit of how many wishes can be granted?"

The silver-haired man did not respond. Instead he was munching on his lower lip and the blurred memories. His psyche kept the final presence of Sanae locked in place for analysis, or perchance in order to keep his growing anger at bay. To tell the truth, he couldn't be sure, whether that emotion boiling inside him was assuredly anger. The thoughts and images were all mingled, even the form of Sanae's face slipped away. His mind kept chasing a new agenda, a new unneeded idea or a fleeting thought. Although this process wasn't eternal, it faded, when the silver-haired man felt a tight grasp on his shoulder, which forced him to glance up for the first time. Soubi withdrew with a weak smile.

"Good, you're still here. I thought you fell asleep looking like that."

"Like what?"

"Let's just say, that was a really weird face and leave it at that, okay?" The blonde explained, before hiding the lower half of his face with the teacup. Ritsu was about to add something, but Soubi began first. " So what are your plans now? You won't go back to Seven Voices. How about getting a job and starting a new life?"

"I... No. I don't know anymore... I just want to get the Reality Bubble back."

"And then what?"

"Return everything to normal."

There was a short pause between the two, in which Soubi leisurely sipped his drink. In these quiet seconds Ritsu's previously shown determination dissipated and he chose to stare out the window, watching the ever falling snowflakes and how the trees' branches were gifted with a sparkling sheet as a compensation for the loss of leaves. In so he squinted his eyes trying to engross himself in that, instead of listening to the mayhem in his brain.

"What do you mean returning everything back to normal?" The blonde eventually frowned. "You don't know, how will your wish effect the Reality Bubble. This was proved by my attempt. I asked the bubble to make Ritsuka happy. And what I got was Ritsuka without his memory loss, with, what I hope, a mentally stable mother to take care of him and the knowledge of Seimei's agendas." This got the silver-haired man's attention. And Soubi continued to stir his tea. "That magic finds ways behind and around our perceptions. The same happened with your wish. What were the exact words you said to the Reality Bubble?"

Ritsu's shoulders tensed up.

"...T-that's not important now. Get to the point, Soubi-kun."

"Huh. Anyway, have you thought, how many measures will it take to return you to the previous reality? How will it effect Ritsuka, me, Sanae-sensei? Have you thought about the outcomes at all?"

"Oh, don't worry. Sanae won't mind going back to her grave..." A cough accompanied Ritsu's words.

"T-tell me you're joking. You can't just take someone's life away, this is absurd, Minami-san!"

The silver-haired man tched, once Soubi finished. The blonde was being way too kind on this matter, Ritsu believed. And he would probably act a lot differently, if he was put into the silveret's shoes. After Soubi got back his composure, he pushed the cup away.

"Look, we will take the Reality Bubble from Sanae, but we won't make any wishes without a throughout planning and without the other one knowing. Do I make myself clear?... Minami-san?"

"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time." The silver-haired man rolled his eyes.

"Perfect... Just..."

"What else?"

"I never thought for you to be so cruel. How can you wish someone death? I mean, even if she passed away in your reality, why do you want to grant her the same fate. Is this some kind of a sick revenge, because of your pathetic role?" He pointed at Ritsu. "Even if you have the power of a reality changing ball, it doesn't lend you the right to act god or to decide other people's lives. Now that I think about it, we should return the Reality Bubble to that shopkeeper in Yashio."

"And of course you'll be keeping your prize..." A side of Ritsu's lip curved upwards." Do you see, how selfish this is?"

Soubi's eye twitched, while his fingers clenched into tight fists under the handed pressure. In that time Ristu's smirk just grew, as if being fed with a tasty snack. He savored Soubi's reaction, and the knowledge, that he honestly hit a nerve.

The silveret was about to shoot another one of his metaphorical stakes, however Ritsuka's voice called out beforehand.

"Soubi!"

The blonde handed a swift glare Ritsu's way, before leaving the table and coming to where Ritsuka and Kio were staring out the window. Ritsu reluctantly followed.

"What did you see there?" Soubi patted the teenager's shivering shoulder, when he got no answer, he glanced outside himself.

There were enormous fishes floating in the air, maneuvering between the buildings, while their scales shone in turns like some constantly changing mosaics. Their golden fins swatted easily between the street lamps or against windows, bending only slightly. To Soubi's confusion and further fright, a few of them had even took a liking to the chimneys, munching on them in groups, while always wriggling their way to lose the other eaters' company.

"What... I-is this?" Soubi barely managed to stammer out. He turned around to try and sooth Ritsuka's fear. And suddenly the table, where he and Ritsu sat at, morphed into a pile of water.

"What the hell?!" Kio panicked, while backing himself against the wall. This caused another turn of Soubi's head. And just as he did, the wall on the side opened up into an eye.

He saw Ritsu leave the house. Bastard, a smart bastard. The blonde grasped Ritsuka's hand running away too, he shouted to Kio not once, although the apartment's walls started to mingle, adding more colors to the swirling chaos. It seemed similar to an experimental painting. His voice was drank by the spiraling baricades, making it seem as if there had been no sound to begin with. Soubi tried to reach for the greenet, but the walls bordered his path, suddenly bending in their direction, then pushing Soubi and Ritsuka out the door.

"Kio!" Ritsuka yelled out, when they had landed on the outside platform. However it was in vain, as the building's stairs started to swallow themselves into a spiral, prompting the two to catch the safety of the ground as quickly as possible. Soon the railings caught the other end of the apartment, beginning to suck themselves in. This left nothing but a morphed orb in place of what used to be Soubi's house. The owner stared with bloodshot eyes, while Ritsuka's lower lip quivered, unable to voice out a word in the sanctuary calmly swimming fishes.

A street away Ritsu finally had the person, he'd spotted through the window, in sight. The silver-haired man paused to catch a breath against the breeze, tingling his throat. He was a few steps away from the long-haired man. Oddly, in this cold weather the shopkeeper wore only a white over-sized buttoned down shirt, which nearly reached his knees, while the bare feet stood firm, steadily buried by the falling snow. After a gulp, Ritsu managed to grit out.

"You're the... Shopkeeper. Right?"

The male in question whirled his head, soon planting a smile on his wrinkled face, as if being sincerely delighted with the other's presence. The kindness seemed like an awful lie to the silveret. It made him nauseous.

"Ahm. And you're Minami Ritsu. You ordered a portrait yesterday."

"Yes. But I had hoped, you'd remember me for something else. You gave me that _defective_ Reality Bubble."

"Ah, that too." The shop owner's expression did not fade, while he tardily rose his wan hand to rub his bearded chin. And so the next moment he failed to notice, how Ritsu closed the distance between them, grabbing the older man by the collar.

"You, _bastard!_" The silveret spat. "You ruined my life, you ruined _everything!_ Take responsibility for what you created!"

"Heh? What did I do?" The shopkeeper cocked his head to the side, while the silveret's hands trembled.

"You... Tell me, how can I cancel the wishes!" A short snicker drowned out from the shopkeeper, sending Ritsu into slight disbelief and fear. _"Tell me!"_

"Tch, tch. Ask one question at a time. That day, when you came, you wanted to know, how I had gotten the picture of you and your friends. That's because..."

The store owner rolled his head down, resting it on the silveret's trembling palms, to Ritsu it seemed as if he nearly fell asleep. How could he be so apathetic? The silver-haired man was in the middle of planning, whether to push the senile man to the wall, or outright punch him in the face for the permanent attention. But he didn't have to. A hoarse voice finally made an appearance with a lazy lift of an unmasked wrist. Momentarily Ritsu stumbled back with a heavy breath.

There exposed to the enervated light sat an inscription: _ENDLESS._

"I am you..." The shopkeeper extended the marked arm towards Ritsu.


	5. Chapter V: Reality

Writing date: 10-13; 11-10

_So hello, and welcome to the last chapter of this. I hope you enjoyed your "stay" here and thank you really much for the read, I appreciate your support. (Also happy upcoming holidays to everyone! This fanfic isn't even a bit festive unfortunately, I guess it's just my bad timing). I hope one day I'll create something a little more cheerful or calming. We'll see... _

-**X**-**X**-**X**-

"I am you."

Ritsu's eyes trailed the shopkeeper's pose as if trying to find comprehension in the other person's strange physique. His companion's arm slowly descended. And Ritsu's whole body shook at the absence of his findings.

"This is absurd! You're just trying to confuse me!"

"Oh? But I have no use in deceit." The shop owner waved a hand lightly. Then his palm settled to nest a lonesome snowflake inside the open den. Although instead of melting on the skin, the white substance exploded into thin air, becoming a sphere of miniature crystals. They proceeded to swim and dangle in the atmosphere. A satisfactory smile spread across the shopkeeper's expression, and he whirled his head to face Ritsu. "And, I believe, no amount of work will ever fix this..."

"Stop messing with me! If you won't help me, then move aside!"

"What will you do now?" The shopkeeper asked, watching as more snowflakes bursted, before ever reaching the soil, thus setting a thin layer of mist across the horizon, he could hardly make out the fish in the city now. " What are your goals, find Sanae, take back the Reality Bubble, change the past once more?"

The silver-haired male itched to oppose, but he only clenched his fists, from the risen breeze.

"They're useless. I'd wish you'd understand that, before it's too late." The shop owner stated beginning to kick the snow beneath his bare feet. Ritsu frowned at the old man, and shooed the brewing obscenities from his mind.

"If that bubble is still somewhere, there has to be hope. And I will find it. You won't stop me."

"Oh, _fufufu_, I'm too old for that!" The shopkeeper shook his head, tardily bending and picking up a teal colored rosary from beneath the snow. Another pile of the freezing substance was kicked apart, to reveal a goat mask and a long red string. Of course, if the eyes hadn't decided to play games with the elder. Those will prove to be great decorations for his shop! When he tried to gather the goods, he noted the string to actually be a long, tied together piece of fabric. The shop owner cocked an eyebrow, tugging on it. In response more of the crimson scarf's length ascended from the snow cover. Unable to see the end of his prize, he kept pulling on the frozen, rigid cotton. After a minute the male gave up. A visible part of the fabric poked out on the street, in the far distance, reducing his attempts to mockery. The old man sluggishly heaved out, scratching his head.

"Hmm, weird. And where would you lead to?"

"Sanae." A lonesome word left Ritsu. "That's Soubi's scarf. She took it from me..."

"So you're still not listening to me? Mark my wor..."

_"Shut up!"_ The silveret snapped, when suddenly the mingling, transparent fish flew straight through them in a panicky wave, barely fitting in between the confines of the surrounding houses. The shopkeeper tried to catch one by the shimmering fin, but the frightened being shakily maneuvered through it's friends, escaping the clutches. The old man sighed, before a gush of water overflowed, burying both of their feet in the clear substance. The fluid rose.

"What's happening here?" Ritsu hastily turned to the elder, who struggled to get a hold of more leather masks, drenched books and jewelry swimming freely in the current. In the midst of this activity he was happily muttering. The silver-haired male blew out the air through his nose in defeat. Perhaps there was no point in talking to his döppelganger anymore, he revealed all he had to. Alas the silveret wondered, how come this other 'Ritsu' wasn't a tad cold, while he himself was clattering his teeth, especially when his legs were buried in ice cold water.

After a few unsuccessful seconds of getting the shopkeeper's attention, Ritsu began to wobbly follow the crimson scarf's trail.

X X X

Soubi exhaled heavily as he ran with Ritsuka from the unfortunate house. They rounded a corner into an alleyway, splashing the formed water puddles in the process. At those moments, the fluid swirled and danced in the air for a split second, before completely freezing into ice. A hallway of statues circled Soubi's and Ritsuka's escape route, like guards waiting for their queen.

Another sharp turn was made, leading the two to the confines of closed down shops with broken windows and mountains of debris, which were idly laying in the middle of the pathway. The blonde reluctantly let go of Ritsuka's hand. And the latter's legs momentarily buckled beneath him, leading the teenager to fall onto the remaining pile of snow. Soubi himself grappled for breath, leaning against a wall. He had no idea, what was happening, and was afraid to even start questioning, perhaps those things, who were chasing them, could hear their voices too. Although Ritsuka broke the quiet.

"Are they gone?"

After the lonely silence answered his question, Ritsuka stood up. When he wanted to take a step however, Soubi's hand gripped the boy's shoulder.

"Don't go anywhere. It's not safe."

"But..."

"Stay put, they won't find us here." The blonde stated, trying to maintain his voice steady.

However their peaceful rest ended shortly, due to an odd clanging inside one of the rundown stores. Soubi's eyes instantly fixated on the masked window frames opposite from them. He saw formless shadows spill out, they began to whirl on the road, mingling into distorted hands with way too many fingers. Even more peculiar feet waltzed their way closer to the only occupants of the street. Ritsuka's sudden tug on the arm made the man glance up. They spotted at least a dozen of pointy nails hanging off the roof, of the nearest house. The pieces seemed to be crafted out of frozen, ivory liquid, which sparkled and revealed foggy images of trees. Despite their astonishing appearance, they made deep scratches to the brick wall, periodically reaching further down.

Ritsuka gulped, while Soubi motioned his hand at the oddity.

"Stay back." He said, before conducting a spell. A swirling ball of flame shot out at the frozen sculptures, and fortunately a few needles melted into puddles, emitting eerie wails. Soubi repeated the same action, taking note, how the cracks in the wall began to widen, gifting roots and branches enough space to happily slither out of the house, and into the care of the sun.

The man whirled around suddenly, seeing the aforementioned boy caught by one of the shadowy arms. His leg was being dragged down, as if into quicksand. The teenager scratched desperately at the tiles, and later at Soubi's outstretched hands. It didn't help, and soon they both found themselves falling below.

By now the house was crumbling into shambles, allowing a tree to grace the empty shops with it's elegance and longevity. There had been a blue ribbon securely tied around one branch... Long faded numbers and letters of farewell sat there.

The place, where Soubi and Ritsuka had fallen in, at first seemed completely pitch black, but soon enough their eyes had got acquaintance with the lack of light. It was a cave, surrounded by calmly flowing water from either sides, a fresh breeze accompanied the two people. Soubi soon heard the dark-haired boy shuffling near the rocks.

"What are you doing, Ritsuka?"

"I saw a flicker there. This could be our way out." He answered, continuing to pick at the edges of the rocks with his fingers. The task proved to be tedious, due to the heaviness of the stones, and tiny gaps between them. Soubi gazed at his friend for a few empty seconds, before coming closer in order to help. However he paused midway, once he saw a lonesome firefly escape one of the holes. It colored Ritsuka's astonished face for a second, before it flew off, beyond the surrounding water. However it wasn't the only one to come for a greeting, suddenly a whole bunch of lighting bugs followed. They brought a warm luminescent glow to the place, unveiling the corners and a few fractured sculptures to the light. A million of tiny shadows glided around the surface and the fireflies carried the reflections to the water stream.

"Beautiful..." Soubi murmured, as his eyes trailed their journey.

"Yeah..." Ritsuka nodded, suddenly running towards the fleeting bugs. As the teenager's feet touched the liquid's surface, he ran joyfully on water. The dark-haired teenager giggled, spinning around on his heel and splashing the transparent fluid. "This feels so odd, don't you wanna try, Soubi?"

The blonde stood frozen, as if somebody nailed him to that very spot. He bit on his lower lip, taming it, so it wouldn't open to voice his worries. A handful of thoughts began to cloud his mind in doubt and fright... The same damned delusional doubt, which plagued him earlier...

_'This is not him.'_ It cooed carefully into his ear._ 'You know that... It was your wish, that made this Ritsuka, this is just a figment of your imagination.'_

The dark-haired teenager pouted for an instant.

"Come here, Soubi, it's safe! If we follow the fireflies we might find a way out!"

_'What a fool!'_ The insides screamed._ 'While you're deluding yourself in this false escape, the real Ritsuka might be suffering right now!'_

"Come on, trust me!" Ritsuka tried once more, and finally the blonde fought with himself to glance up. He saw relief and hope portrayed in the teenager's expression for a tiny moment... As the last of the fireflies disappeared, the current carried the body downward. It swallowed the boy into the darkness underneath, before continuing to ripple calmly.

Soubi's eyes went bloodshot, whilst his legs felt drained, weakness enveloped him in a tattered cover.

X X X

The trail of the red scarf came to an end, with a knot tied around a lonely wooden sculpture just outside Tokyo's central park. This parcel of land used to have shrubs and flowerbeds, outlining and guarding the main path. Yet now all those details were masked by the snow, thus making the park seem dull,_ repetitive_.

Ritsu buried his hands in the wet coat's pockets, alas it was pointless, he could barely feel the fingers now, the burning sensation had faded, handing the reins to the numbness. He strode down the main route. An odd stench similar to scorched plastic assaulted his smell receptors soon enough and a mist of swirling smoke joined in likewise. He paused, turning to search for he source of discomfort. He abruptly saw Sanae surrounded by trees. She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of a circle, which was borded by charcoal and merged together ice figures. He frowned unwillingly, the mere sight of his fighter's delighted face made him nauseous.

It appeared, that the female hadn't spotted him yet, she continued to stare above, her eyes caressing the lines of smoke, which flowed freely into the sky. When Ritsu's tired feet were just outside of the man-made ring, Sanae's smile widened.

"He told me you'd come! I knew it!"

"Who?" Ritsu's hoarse voice cut at her enthusiasm.

"Uhm... The weird person, who looks like you."

"Figures..."

"Don't you think, it's wonderful, that such a silly thing can reunite us?" She said pridefully, before standing, and taking Ritsu by the hand to lead him inside the circle.

At the moment of contact, a sense of dread enveloped him, pulsing inside his brain with a notion of hollowness. He jerked his arm away. Unfortunately the odd notion nested in his mind still, releasing an overwhelming buzz as well. The man's petrified eyes glanced at his shivering palm. He was trying to figure out the sudden pounding in his head. Numbness, emptiness... It took him some time to recall, what exactly was he doing here to begin with. The memories began to mingle, well known faces bleached from his reach, voices were distorted... No, this was not right...

Ritsu exhaled heavily, covering his face. His fingers felt rigid.

"What did you do to me?"

"Huh?" Sanae raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. "I have not done anything... But that man said, that you should be happy now."

The silveret gave her a glower. Something in the corner caught his attention though. The Reality Bubble, if was placed on a platform, which was overflowing with water. The man gave a quick glance Sanae's way, before lunging forward. However the ball disappeared right in front of his eyes, while his surroundings went dark.

"Sanae, stop this foolishness! Come out and face me!" He shouted, feeling vulnerable in this state. Alas there was no answer. He could feel Sanae smiling at him through the gathered fog. But as he tried to reach for her, his fingers met an invisible wall. Moreover newly found memories wrapped around his perception, despite the man's protests.

Ritsu saw himself, standing in a small white room. He couldn't place the peculiar odor, hanging around there, but could feel a cold, tingling sensation in his feet, making the man involuntarily curl his toes. He grimaced. Where in the hell, was he?

His foggy vision made out Sanae, dressed in a white gown, she was standing in front, her back was set to him. He felt his vocal cords vibrate with a hint of a sore throat. A slightly disrespectful tone was let loose.

_"This is the first time, I see you here, Sanae..."_

_"Well, I wanted to try this for once."_

_"You didn't need to. The simulated battle system works well without you."_ Ritsu answered, he could sense a suppressed annoyance bubbling just below the surface. But it was hardly shown in the exterior. And Ritsu didn't had more time to analyse the scene, because a voice echoed from a pair of speakers, probably behind them, Ritsu did not see them, and for some reason did not dare to look back.

_"Activating the battle system, prepare for the first test."_

The silveret's head tipped down, his pallid hands flew in front of his vision, he could also spot the string of his and Sanae's bond slithering off somewhere, the persistent company. Perhaps it attempted to escape. An invasive sensation began to bother him, causing sudden lights to flash in his eyes. The man swallowed, trying to ignore it.

Sanae's back stood firm, unflinching, though the silver-haired man couldn't mimic that strength. A loud thump came into being, and his surroundings went dark, returning to the dimmed exterior of the park.

"Stop it, that's not my past!" He yelled out, turning around in search for Sanae. " Get out of my head!"

"How can you say something so mean?" Disappointment was edged into the greenette's voice, while her breath came down Ritsu's neck. He shook for an instant. While the misty atmosphere began to mingle slightly, exposing the ice sculptures outside of the circled ash.

"This is your life, Ritsu. It's a shame, that you blame me for your misfortunes. I always tried to help you and take care of you..." She paused, as her hands gently landed on his shoulders, keeping him secured in place. " I will continue to do so until the end of our lives. It pains me to see you lost, suffer or hiding from me. You have to understand, that I want, what's best for you, Ritsu..."

The man's eyes involuntarily constricted onto another mingling image before him. The longer he stood there, the harder it became to distinguish reality from the manufactured past. He grit his teeth at his own weakness.

In the meantime Sanae's voice calmly echoed, as Ritsu's room merged in the background.

"And in order for me to save you..."

They watched as a food tray was placed on top of the unmade bed. The silver-haired male scrutinized the kids' meal, in search of something. At that time he was scratching the wrist, where his actual name faded along with the ENDLESS bond, due to one of the many flunked experiments. A blue pill caught his interest, near the glass of water. And he took it, in order to place the medication inside a sooty cabinet. As he parted the first drawer a mount of the same blue color met his vision. He dropped the newcomer inside, to let them pal up... In fact this was a gift for that _special_ day, when he would finally gather the will to end his life.

"I must be with you." Sanae continued then, whilst her arms traveled to hug him over the shoulders. "You are suffering from a disease called _loneliness_."

"More like apathy, if you ask me..." Ritsu snickered dryly, as he recalled, what she had previously revealed about his life.

Another scene played in front of them. The two ogled, as the same silveret dragged his feet back to the bed, nearly tripping on a pile of clothes dropped by. He picked up a a half drank bottle from beneath the bed. The cork was pulled out hastily, revealing the weakened smell of the intoxicating drink.

Ritsu's face distorted into a grimace.

"This is disgusting! I refuse to except this nonsense!"

"Ritsu..."

"Let go of me!" The man jerked away, gazing back at his fighter with frightened pupils. "I don't want anything to do with you. That _despicable_ creature is not me! I don't want that kind of life!"

"You're distressed..."

"No! Shut up! I don't want to hear you!" Ritsu spat back, clutching his hair. An involuntarily chuckle abandoned him." You're suppose to be _dead_ in the first place! This can't happen!"

Sanae gazed at the man's struggles, before coming closer to him. As she walked, the ice sculptures began to bud out from under her footsteps. The fog dissipated reluctantly. In those quiet seconds, the darkened horizon became adorned with millions of tree branches swimming by with occasional shivers wrecking their tranquil gliding.

"I understand your fears. Let them all out, Ritsu." She spoke, standing in front of him now, while the silveret kneeled, shivering. She carefully caressed his head. "Remember, I'm here for you. You'll come to appreciated it."

The man did not respond, while his body convulsed, as if wanting to vomit. He felt sick, what made matters even worse was the severe pain, which attacked the male every time he tried to inhale. The air burned his air passages, his breathing was reduced to mere heaving.

Sanae's hand stilled. It stayed near the silver-haired male's forehead at least for an hour, maybe more. Time was leaving them behind, the branches swirled by, while previous fog scattered completely. A light snowstorm was beginning to ruffle their frozen bodies. The sun was setting and the shades came out of their hideaways to gradually overthrow the day.

"I'm growing sick of this..." Sanae's lips curved to spit a snarl. "For how long must I care for you? We're going back to Seven Voices, and you can mourn there for as much as you want, I won't interrupt." She felt Ritsu's body tense for a short pause under her palm. The woman frowned, before gripping a fair amount of the man's hair, in order to rise his face. Her facade finally fractured.

"You're pathetic, you know that? I'm the one who's suffering here, Ritsu! I'm the one, who has to take care of you, wear a nice smile in front of your ignorant ass. I'm sick of your personality! And now what? You _abandon_ me?! _Insult_ me?! Wish me _dead_?! How can you blame me for acting selfish, when I am using a magical tool for _our_ benefit?! If you want to know the truth, the only reason, I let you vegetate in the school, is because of Septimal Moon's regulation!" The green-haired woman paused for a breath, spotting an odd glimmer in the silveret's eyes. She smirked, drawing his face closer to hers.

"So you see me, as a monster, eh? You're no_ saint_ either, Ritsu..."

A mocking laughter broke out of the woman's insides, before it was cut off, when Ritsu stabbed into her chest with a pocket knife. His ego flared at that moment. And while the adrenaline pumped heavily in his veins, he abandoned Sanae in order to search for the crystal orb. As the man wobbled back to the platform, where he had seen it earlier, he noted, how the ice sculptures began to melt, as if shedding tears... He did not dare to look back.

Luckily the Reality Bubble lay on the small fountain, caressed by the flowing water. Ritsu felt his knees grow weak, as he fell in front of it, taking the orb into his numb, bloody palms. The labored breathing was getting on his nerves, yet the man held the crystal in front of his lowered head in a begging manner.

"Please... Return... Every... Re-revert back... Revert to... My reality..."

Somewhere between his heaving, the silver-haired man heard a crack. He looked up at the object in his palms to see it shatter into dust. He stared at the remains in his shivering hands, before he hastily tried to gather the particles from the fluid. The task proved to be tedious with his unresponsive fingers.

"No!... Le-let me go back! Bring me back! I wish... I wish to!..."

Ritsu's cries were not heard, and instead the current overflowed it's boundaries to slither further away into the secluded park, defrosting the snow likewise. After a moment the silveret's head shot up. He finally glanced at Sanae's limp body, which was overwhelmed by the liquid. The water also scattered and dissolved the split blood - the proof of the man's rash actions. His _sins_...

One part of him persistently screamed, that the things he had done were needed, and that he held no blame... The silveret knew better... He knew now, that from the very start, all he wanted was not to fix his mistakes, but to run away from them, erase them, so they wouldn't haunt his psyche, and he could live freely without a heavy stone, hanging from his heart. That was a weakling's way out. That night spent in his replica's shoes also frightened him, with a crushing: _"What might happen?"_. The silveret was afraid of the possibilities drawn out in front of him, afraid to lose his worth in life, his achievements, motivations, his goals. So again he desired for a manufactured change... But perhaps there was no way to escape this in the first place?

His fingers brushed a few strands of hair away from Sanae's face, before he slowly laid his head on her chest, weakly clutching the female's shoulders. A wail distorted the quietude.

"I'm sorry..."

It was _worthless_... Yet he still killed her without an ounce of mercy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

It didn't took long for his mutterings to become gibberish between the shallow inhales... Perchance some kind of nameless entity called out to him, because all of a sudden, Ritsu rose his head. On a little mount, which was still free from the flood, he spotted the long-haired shopkeeper. A bag filled with goat masks and needless jewelry layed next to his feet, along with a dozen of rosaries hanging from his arms and neck. The old man was holding a bow and aiming an arrow straight at Ritsu.

The silver-haired man closed his eyes in terror...

Alas when Ritsu parted them, he failed to see the imagined blood bath. Instead he focused on the wide sea, which rippled and sparkled, due to the moon's radiance. Stars outlined the sky, separating the murky, unclean earth from anything above... _Unclean?_ The man tardily glanced down at his kneeling legs to spot Sanae's head, laying between them, he also took note of his own blackened fingers and the back of the arrow pointing from his abdomen. _Oh?_ So that's, from where this sticky fluid came from... He attempted to recede, feeling uncomfortable, having to stare at his fighter's corpse. Maybe she would yell out to him with her dying breath:_ "You made me this way!"_

A palm landed sharply onto the man's back, halting his movements.

"Don't move." The hoarse voice of the shop owner proclaimed, making Ritsu swallow heavily whatever substance, that occupied his mouth. The senile male gripped his younger self's shoulder. His lowered voice pierced Ritsu, making the younger male hunch forward slightly. "You failed. The time is up."

Once again the transparent fish with shimmering fangs swam, maneuvering between each other and staying in small groups, regardless of the vast ocean in front of them. Ritsu watched their serene actions. They seemed to hold no cares and no troubles, that could befog their minds. He'd wished to be one of them, he was beyond tired...

The carefree ocean awaited him...

X X X

Ritsu's sooty room stood inside the confines of Seven Voices academy. The shopkeeper was putting his found masks, cups with gargoyle patterns and tattered linens on the cabinet in the corner of the room, which was near the barricaded door. Shame, the elder couldn't bring Soubi's red scarf back as well... Still, once the job was done, he took a moment to adore his trophies with a smile. However a sudden clanging did not let the man revel for too long.

He noted a noise coming from the crumbling furnace, which was placed inside the wall. Soon a wan arm fell out of the warm insides. The man tched - that won't do.

He marched near the heating chamber, fixating his eyes on the culprit - Ritsu. He was bedded inside, on top of other naked Ritsus, who were no similar from him. This last one seemed to be still alive, as was proved by the frail and sudden rising of the chest, however the blank eyes proclaimed a different theory. The shopkeeper looked apologetically at the figures, before letting out a gasp of astonishment.

The pallid hand, which had fallen out, housed a crystal orb inside. It was nearly done... A well known tingle reverberated inside his soul, as the elder carefully picked up the item, putting it into a tiny luxurious box, which sat there, ready for those kind of occasions. The store owner marveled at the Reality Bubble. Although something pulled his attention away, and at the blank face of Ritsu, who's body was laying nearly sideways inside the furnace.

A muffled knock sounded somewhere behind the barricaded door. And the shopkeeper hastily forced the furnace to a close. Then he heard two voices, occupying the other side - his store in Yashio.

"Is anybody in here?!"

"Ritsu... I-I think we should really go. This place is giving me the creeps... It-it's like this shop was used for satanic rituals or something. I don't want to be sacrificed, you hear?"

"I'm not comfortable here either, Nagisa. But..."

"But?"

"We already paid... It's from the school's budget."

"Are you kidding me, Ritsu?! You want to get us killed for a freaking yen?!"

The senile man barely contained a chuckle, after he overheard the conversation. Those two were loud like always, they never ceased to amaze him. After a minute the shop owner took the box, with the bubble and readied himself to come greet his customers...


End file.
